Compositions and methods for detecting complement activation

ABSTRACT

Provided herein, inter alia, are compositions and methods of using the same for detecting complement activation.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of International Application No.PCT/US2013/055400, filed Aug. 16, 2013, which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 61/684,691, filed Aug. 17, 2012, eachof which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety and for allpurposes.

REFERENCE TO A “SEQUENCE LISTING,” A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAMLISTING APPENDIX SUBMITTED AS AN ASCII TEXT FILE

The Sequence Listing written in file 48498-549C01US_ST25.TXT, created onJul. 9, 2015, 93,812 bytes, machine format IBM-PC, MS-Windows operatingsystem, is hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Complement is the collective term for a series of blood proteins thatconstitute a major effector mechanism of the immune system. Thecomplement system plays an important role in the pathology of manyautoimmune, inflammatory and ischemic diseases. Inappropriate complementactivation and its deposition on host cells can lead tocomplement-mediated lysis and/or injury of cells and target tissues, aswell as tissue destruction due to the generation of powerful mediatorsof inflammation. Key to the activity of the complement system is thecovalent attachment of processed protein fragments derived from a serumprotein, complement C3, to tissue sites of complement activation. Thisunusual property is due to the presence of a thioester bond in C3 that,when cleaved during C3 activation, converts C3 to a form designated C3bwhich can then utilize ester or amide bonds to link to cell andtissue-attached molecules. Once C3b is covalently attached, it israpidly processed to the iC3b, C3dg and C3d forms, each of which remaincovalently attached to the target tissue site. This process results inthe “marking” of the tissue as one in which an inflammatory injury orother complement-related process is underway.

Complement can be activated by any of three pathways: the classical,lectin and alternative pathways. The classical pathway is activatedthrough the binding of the complement system protein C1q toantigen-antibody complexes, pentraxins or apoptotic cells. Thepentraxins include C-reactive protein and serum amyloid P component. Thelectin pathway is initiated by binding of microbial carbohydrates tomannose-binding lectin or by the binding of ficolins to carbohydrates oracetylated molecules.

The alternative pathway is activated on surfaces of pathogens that haveneutral or positive charge characteristics and do not express or containcomplement inhibitors. This results from the process termed ‘tickover’of C3 that occurs spontaneously, involving the interaction ofconformationally altered C3 with factor B, and results in the fixationof active C3b on pathogens or other surfaces. The alternative pathwaycan also be initiated when certain antibodies block endogenousregulatory mechanisms, by IgA-containing immune complexes, or whenexpression of complement regulatory proteins is decreased. In addition,the alternative pathway is activated by a mechanism called the‘amplification loop’ when C3b that is deposited onto targets via theclassical or lectin pathway, or indeed through the tickover processitself, binds factor B. See Muller-Eberhard (1988) Ann. Rev. Biochem.57:321. For example, Holers and colleagues have shown that thealternative pathway is amplified at sites of local injury wheninflammatory cells are recruited following initial complementactivation. Girardi et al., J. Clin. Invest. 2003, 112:1644. Dramaticcomplement amplification through the alternative pathway then occursthrough a mechanism that involves either the additional generation ofinjured cells that fix complement, local synthesis of alternativepathway components, or more likely because infiltrating inflammatorycells that carry preformed C3 and properdin initiate and/or greatlyincrease activation specifically at that site.

Alternative pathway amplification is initiated when circulating factor Bbinds to activated C3b. This complex is then cleaved by circulatingfactor D to yield an enzymatically active C3 convertase complex, C3bBbn.C3bBb cleaves additional C3 generating C3b, which drives inflammationand also further amplifies the activation process, generating a positivefeedback loop. Factor H is a key regulator (inhibitor) of thealternative complement pathway activation and initiation mechanisms thatcompetes with factor B for binding to conformationally altered C3 in thetickover mechanism and to C3b in the amplification loop. Binding of C3bto Factor H also leads to degradation of C3b by factor I to the inactiveform iC3b (also designated C3bi), thus exerting a further check oncomplement activation. Factor H regulates complement in the fluid phase,circulating at a plasma concentration of approximately 500 μg/ml, butits binding to cells is a regulated phenomenon enhanced by the presenceof a negatively charged surface as well as fixed C3b, iC3b, C3dg or C3d.Jozsi et al., Histopathol. (2004) 19:251-258.

Complement activation, C3 fragment fixation and complement-mediatedinflammation are involved in the etiology and progression of numerousdiseases. The down-regulation of complement activation has been shown tobe effective in treating several diseases in animal models and in exvivo studies, including, for example, systemic lupus erythematosus andglomerulonephritis (Y. Wang et al., Proc. Nat'l Acad. Sci. USA (1996)93:8563-8568), rheumatoid arthritis (Y. Wang et al., Proc. Nat'l Acad.Sci. USA (1995) 92:8955-8959), cardiopulmonary bypass and hemodialysis(C. S. Rinder, J. Clin. Invest. (1995) 96:1564-1572), hyperacuterejection in organ transplantation (T. J. Kroshus et al.,Transplantation (1995) 60:1194-1202), myocardial infarction (J. W.Homeister et al., J. Immunol. (1993) 150:1055-1064; H. F. Weisman etal., Science (1990) 249:146-151), ischemia/reperfusion injury (E. A.Amsterdam et al., Am. J. Physiol. (1995) 268:H448-H457),antibody-mediated allograft rejection, for example, in the kidneys (J.B. Colvin, J. Am. Soc. Nephrol. (2007) 18(4):1046-56), and adultrespiratory distress syndrome (R. Rabinovici et al., J. Immunol. (1992)149:1744-1750).

Moreover, other inflammatory conditions and autoimmune/immune complexdiseases are also closely associated with complement activation (B. P.Morgan. Eur. J. Clin. Invest. (1994) 24:219-228), including, but notlimited to, thermal injury, severe asthma, anaphylactic shock, bowelinflammation, urticaria, angioedema, vasculitis, multiple sclerosis,myasthenia gravis, myocarditis, membranoproliferativeglomerulonephritis, atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome, Sjögren'ssyndrome, renal and pulmonary ischemia/reperfusion, and otherorgan-specific inflammatory disorders. It is currently uncertain whethercomplement activation is essential to the pathogenesis and injury of alldiseases in which local tissue C3 activation and inflammatory injuryoccurs; nevertheless, C3 fragment fixation is almost universally foundas an associated event.

A variety of disorders are associated with inflammation, however, sodefinitive diagnosis of complement-mediated inflammation typicallyrequires confirmation via immunostaining or other in vitro analysisperformed on tissue samples retrieved by biopsy. While biopsies are inmany respects routine, they have their limitations and are notrisk-free. Because commonly used needle or punch biopsies sample only asmall portion of the target organ, there is a risk of sample errorleading to an incorrect diagnosis. Furthermore, although biopsy is agenerally safe procedure, major complications such as internal bleedingmay occur in a significant number of cases.

In some cases, because of the difficulties in diagnosing disease ormonitoring disease progression, for example, in patients with systemiclupus erythematosus or lupus nephritis, repeat renal biopsies aretherefore frequently necessary to assess the response to therapy or todiagnose disease relapse. See e.g., S. Bajaj et al., 2000, J. Rheumatol.27:2822-2826. Although renal biopsy is generally a safe procedure,complications may occur in 6% or more of biopsies and intra-renalbleeding and hematuria are common Patients requiring repeat biopsies areat concomitantly greater risk of complications. See e.g., W. L. Whittieret al., 2004, J. Am. Soc. Nephrol. 15:142-147; D. C. Mendelssohn et al.,1995, Am. J. Kidney Dis. 26:580-585. Thus, a non-invasive method ofdetecting or accurately assessing the presence, degree and/or extent ofcomplement-mediated inflammation would be of significant value indiagnosing disease, formulating treatment strategies and monitoringtheir efficacy for many inflammatory diseases, including lupusnephritis.

The use of complement receptor 2 (CR2), or functional fragments thereof,to target complement modulators to tissues which exhibit or express C3,or fragments of C3 to which the CR2 is able to bind, including C3b,iC3b, C3d and C3dg, is described in US 2008/0267980 and US 2008/0221011,the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference.Such CR2 molecules, and functional fragments thereof, can be used fortargeting because the first two N-terminal short consensus repeatdomains (SCRs) comprise an active binding site for the exposed C3ddomain that is contained within iC3b, C3dg, and C3d.

The present invention provides solutions to these and other problems inthe art. The disclosures of all publications, patents, patentapplications and published patent applications referred to herein arehereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In a first aspect is provided an antibody conjugate including anantibody, or antigen binding fragment thereof, and a detectable moiety.

In a second aspect is provided a method of detecting complement-mediatedinflammation in an individual including: (a) administering to theindividual an effective amount of an anti-C3d antibody conjugate asdescribed herein; (b) allowing the anti-C3d antibody conjugate to bindto a C3 protein fragment within the individual thereby forming ananti-C3d antibody conjugate-C3 protein fragment complex; and (c)detecting the anti-C3d antibody conjugate-C3 protein fragment complex inthe individual.

In a third aspect is provided a method of detecting complementactivation in an individual including: (a) administering to theindividual an effective amount of an anti-C3d antibody conjugate asdescribed herein; (b) allowing the anti-C3d antibody conjugate to bindto a C3 protein fragment within the individual thereby forming ananti-C3d antibody conjugate-C3 protein fragment complex; and (c)detecting the anti-C3d antibody conjugate-C3 protein fragment complex inthe individual.

In a fourth aspect is provided a method of detecting complementactivation including (a) administering to a biological sample (e.g.biopsy, tissue, blood, blood fraction, serum, or cells, all optionallyfrom a subject or patient) an effective amount of an anti-C3d antibodyconjugate as described herein; (b) allowing the anti-C3d antibodyconjugate to bind to a C3 protein fragment within the biological samplethereby forming an anti-C3d antibody conjugate-C3 protein fragmentcomplex; and (c) detecting the anti-C3d antibody conjugate-C3 proteinfragment complex in the biological sample. In some embodiments, the C3protein fragment is C3d or C3dg or iC3b.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1. Changes in T2 relaxation as measured by MRI in muscle and kidneyfollowing administration of the 3d29 antibody conjugated to the surfaceof iron-oxide nanoparticles to factor H knockout mice (that haveabundant target C3 fragment deposits (i.e. iC3b, C3dg, and C3d) in theglomeruli of their kidneys).

FIG. 2. Specific binding by flow cytometry of FITC-labelled Group 1monoclonal antibodies 3d29 and 3d8, but not control monoclonal AntibodyHB5, to C3d-coated zymosan particles. These monoclonal antibodies alsoretained binding to C3d following biotinylation and other techniques.

FIG. 3. Specific and durable in vivo binding of monoclonal antibody 3d29to the site of complement C3 fixation at 48 hours following injectionthe day after laser-induced CNV injury. In vivo imaging was performedusing a Micron III retinal imaging microscope (Phoenix ResearchLaboratories).

FIG. 4. Specific and durable in vitro binding of monoclonal antibody3d29 to the site of complement C3 fixation at 48 hours followinginjection the day after induction of laser-induced CNV injury. In vitroimaging was performed using a flat mount and B×W image capture system.

FIGS. 5A-5B. Conjugation of anti-C3d antibodies to the surface ofsuperparamagnetic iron-oxide nanoparticles (SPIO). Three differentmethods of conjugating antibodies to the surface of SPIO were testedusing three different proteins: C3d29 anti-C3d, CR2-Fc, and 171 (as acontrol antibody). (FIG. 5A) FACS analysis was used to determine theefficacy of the reactions. Unconjugated SPIO are represented by filledgray curves, and conjugated are represented by black line curves. (FIG.5B) The percentage of antibody-positive SPIO obtained using each methodof conjugation and for each protein are shown. Data are mean±SEM fromthree independent conjugations per method per protein species.

FIGS. 6A-6C. Analysis of conjugated SPIO size as determined by dynamiclight scattering (DLS). Representative histograms of the dominant peakof number-weighted size distribution are presented for maleoyl (FIG.6A), EDC/NHS/NH2 (FIG. 6B), and EDC/NHS (FIG. 6C) conjugation methodsfor unconjugated SPIO, and CR2-Fc-, C3d29-, and 171-conjugated SPIO. Themean diameter (nm) for the dominant peak of size distribution isindicated in the top right corner of every sample. An increase in sizefollowing conjugation of SPIO with proteins was observed for allconjugated samples.

FIGS. 7A-7C. Hydrodynamic size and surface characteristics of conjugatedSPIO. (FIG. 7A) zeta potential of unconjugated and conjugated SPIO. Theconjugated proteins change the negative zeta potential of the NH2-SPIOfrom slightly negative to positive, and reduce the negative zetapotential of COOH-SPIO. Data are mean±SEM from three independentconjugations per method per protein species. (FIG. 7B) mean diameter andpercent distribution of unconjugated and conjugated SPIO. All conjugatesspecies of SPIO show an increase in hydrodynamic size from that ofunconjugated SPIO. C3d29-SPIO of EDC/NHS method shows properties ofaggregation (greater increase in hydrodynamic size and a greaterreduction of the negative zeta potential). Data are mean±SD from threeindependent conjugations per method per protein species. (FIG. 7C)Estimated nmoles of protein per nmole of conjugated SPIO for threedifferent methods of conjugation with three different proteins. Data aremean±SEM per conjugation method per protein.

FIGS. 8A-8C. Binding of conjugated SPIO with the target C3d antigen inELISA. Detection of SPIO binding to the target C3d antigen by ELISA forSPIO conjugated with maleoyl (FIG. 8A), EDC/NHS/NH2 (FIG. 8B) andEDC/NHS (FIG. 8C) methods. Specific, C3d-dependent, binding was detectedfor CR2-Fc-SPIO and C3d29-SPIO conjugated with all three methods. Dataare mean±SD for samples tested in duplicates from two independentexperiments. Differences in the absorbance values between CR2-Fc-SPIOand C3d29-SPIO may be due to the use of two different secondaryantibodies.

FIGS. 9A-9B. Target-specific MRI signal reduction by conjugated SPIO.(FIG. 9A) reduction of T₂-relaxation time of opsonized CHO cell pelletsincubated with CR2-Fc-SPIO or C3d29-SPIO was seen relative to thoseincubated with control 171-SPIO. Three different methods of SPIOconjugation were tested. Data are mean±SEM from conjugated SPIO obtainedfrom three independent conjugations per method per protein. (FIG. 9B)images from T₂-weighted MRI scans of the cell pellets. Images wereobtained at TE=48 ms for all three methods of conjugation. Targetingproteins conjugated to SPIO are indicated on the left. Darkening of thepellets reflects binding of the SPIO to the opsonized cells. *p<0.05,**p<0.01, and ***p<0.001 by one-way ANOVA followed by Dunnett'spost-test where data from 171-SPIO was used as control.

FIGS. 10A-10B. Metabolism of C3 to iC3b and C3d during complementactivation. FIG. 10A. Schematic demonstration of cleavage of soluble C3initially to the C3b and C3a forms through the activity of C3convertases (activating enzymes), followed by the sequential processingto iC3b, C3dg and C3d (latter not shown) through the activity ofcofactors and proteases. The iC3b, C3dg and C3d proteins exhibit durabletissue and cell binding properties FIG. 10B. Illustration of themolecular entities (iC3b, C3dg (not shown) and C3d) to which theanti-C3d monoclonal antibodies described herein specifically bind.

FIGS. 11A-11D. Generation of monoclonal antibodies that recognize C3activation fragments. Anti-human C3d hybridomas were generated. (FIG.11A) The hybridomas were screened against recombinant human C3d byELISA, and nine of the clones bound to the protein (clone 7C10 was usedas a positive control, and the remaining clones were newly identified).(FIG. 11B) Reactivity of the clones against intact C3 and recombinantC3d by Western blot analysis was tested. Three patterns of reactivitywere seen: Group 1 clones bound strongly to C3d, Group 2 clones bound tothe α chain of intact C3, and Group 3 clones did not bind well to eithermoiety. The * denotes the clone whose results are shown. (FIG. 11C)Clone 3d11 recognized all of the C3 fragments by Western blot analysis.The appearance of the α, α′, α1, α2, C3dg, and C3d fragments frompurified proteins and from mouse plasma are shown. (FIG. 11D)Immunoprecipitation of C3 fragments in plasma demonstrated that theGroup 1 clones recognize the iC3b form (α1 chain) and C3dg, but do notbind to the C3 and C3b (α and α′ chains). Clone 3d16 demonstrated somebinding to the C3dg and C3d fragments.

FIGS. 12A-12C. Surface plasmon resonance of clones 3d8b (FIG. 12A), 3d9a(FIG. 12B), and 3d29 (FIG. 12C) against recombinant human C3ddemonstrate high affinity binding. Surface plasmon resonance wasperformed using recombinant human C3d fixed to a CM5 chip. Theantibodies demonstrated high affinity binding, and K_(D)s are shown foreach result.

FIGS. 13A-13E. Clones 3d3, 3d15, and 3d16 stabilize the C3 convertase onsheep erythrocytes. Sheep erythrocytes were sensitized with antibody andopsonized with human C3b. They were than treated with factor B, factorD, and properdin to generate AP C3-convertases (C3bBbP) on the cellsurfaces. One μg of antibody was added to a 150 μl reaction mix, and thecells were used immediately (FIG. 13A and FIG. 13C) or incubated for 2hours (FIG. 13B and FIG. 13D). (FIG. 13A) When guinea pig serum wasadded to the erythrocytes as a source of membrane attack complex (MAC)and the average number of MAC complexes was calculated, cells treatedwith clones 3d3, 3d15, and 3d16 demonstrated a greater MAC formationthan control treated cells. (FIG. 13B) When the cells were incubated twohours prior to addition of the guinea pig serum the same three clonesshowed greater Z values, indicating that these clones stabilize the C3convertase on the cell surface. (FIG. 13C and FIG. 13D) the experimentwas repeated for clones 3d3, 3d15, and 3d16 in the presence or absenceof factor B. In the absence of factor B MAC formation was eliminated,demonstrating that the reaction required formation of the alternativepathway C3 convertase. (FIG. 3E) The same reaction was repeated but withthe addition of 400 ng of factor H. The reaction was incubated for 30minutes and the Z values were measured. None of the antibodies testedinterfered with the ability of factor H to dissociated the C3 convertaseand prevent MAC formation. Antibodies 3d8b, 3d9a, 3d29a, and 3d16 wereadded to sheep erythrocytes in an alternative pathway lysis assay.Varying concentrations of the anti-C3d antibodies were added, and thepercent of cells lysed by the serum were calculated for each reaction.The addition of clone 3d16 caused an increase in the percentage of cellslysed using a fixed concentration of serum.

FIG. 14. Clones 3d8b, 3d9a, and 3d29 do not increase alternative pathwayactivation on rabbit erythrocytes. Varying amounts of clones 3d8b, 3d9a,3d29, and 3d16 were added to an alternative pathway lysis assay (AH50)in which rabbit erythrocytes are incubated with human serum. An increasein lysis was observed in reactions containing 3d16, but not in reactionsto which 3d8b, 3d9a, or 3d29 had been added.

FIGS. 15A-15D. Blockade of the CR2-C3d interaction by anti-C3d mAbs.(FIG. 15A) A competition ELISA was performed to test whether theanti-C3d mAbs interfere with the binding of a recombinant construct ofthe two N-terminal domains of CR2 (MBP-CR2) and plate-bound C3d. Thepercentage binding of MBP-CR2 at a concentration of 10 μg/ml (y-axis)was determined in the presence of individual anti-C3d mAbs (x-axis) at aconcentration of 26 μg/ml. Values are normalized to a positive controlin which C3d-coated wells were incubated with MBP-CR2 in the absence ofanti-C3d mAbs (not shown). Also shown for each sample is a negativecontrol in which the wells were coated with BSA instead of C3d. (FIG.15B-D) Capacity of the Group 1 mAbs (3d8b [FIG. 15B], 3d9a [FIG. 15C]and 3d29 [FIG. 15D]) to block MBP-CR2 binding to plate-bound C3d, at mAbconcentrations ranging from 1.625 to 26 μg/ml.

FIGS. 16A-16B. Clones 3d8b, 3d9a, and 3d29 bind to mouse C3 fragmentsgenerated in vitro and in vivo. (FIG. 16A) Normal mouse serum wasactivated on zymosan particles, and binding of the antibodies to theC3-opsonized particles was tested. The opsonized particles wereincubated with 1 μg of each antibody, and bound antibody was detected byflow cytometry. Polyclonal anti-mouse C3 was used as a positive control.Clones 3d8b, 3d9, and 3d29 bound to the opsonized particles. (FIG. 16B)Kidney tissue sections from factor H deficient mice were used to testbinding of the antibodies to C3 tissue deposits. Factor H mice are knownto have abundant deposition of C3 fragments along the glomerularcapillaries without IgG at this location. This was confirmed byimmunostaining using a polyclonal antibody to mouse C3. Kidney tissuesections were then incubated with 5 μg/mL of each clone. Clones 3d8b,3d9, and 3d29 bound to the capillaries in a pattern identical to that ofC3. The remaining 6 clones did not demonstrate substantive binding(results for clone 3d31 are shown). Original magnification ×400.

FIGS. 17A-17B. Clones 3d8b, 3d9a (3d9), and 3d29 target tissue-bound C3fragments after systemic in vivo injection. (FIG. 17A) Factor Hdeficient mice were injected with 0.5 mg of each antibody. After 24hours the mice were sacrificed, and immunofluorescence microscopy wasperformed to detect glomerular IgG. Mice injected with clones 3d8b, 3d9,and 3d29 demonstrated IgG deposition along the capillary walls in apattern indistinguishable from that of C3 deposition. These mice do nothave detectable C3 deposits along the tubules, and no IgG was seen inthe tubulointerstitium. To confirm that the detection antibody was notbinding to endogenous IgG, clone 3d29 was biotinylated and theexperiment was repeated. Streptavidin-FITC was used to detect theinjected antibody, and again it could be seen along the capillary loops.(FIG. 17B) Wild-type C57BL/6 mice demonstrate C3 deposits along thebasolateral aspect of the tubules. Unmanipulated C57BL/6 mice wereinjected with biotinylated 3d29 or with a biotinylated control antibody.The mice were sacrificed after 24 hours, and 3d29 was detected in thekidneys using strepatavidin-PE. The antibody was detected along thetubules, in a pattern indistinguishable from the C3 deposits. Originalmagnification ×400.

FIGS. 18A-18G. Clones 3d29 binds in vitro to tissue-bound C3 fragmentsin the retina in a model of choroidal neovascularization. Four laserspots in each eye were created by Argon laser photocoagulation. (FIG.18A) FITC-3d29 strongly bound to CNV lesions in flatmounts made fromwild-type mice. (FIG. 18B) Low intensity staining was observed for HB5,a control antibody, to edge of the CNV lesions in flatmounts made fromwild-type mice. (FIG. 18C) Low intensity staining of FITC-3d29 wasobserved in CNV lesions in flatmounts made from fβ^(−/−) mice. Clones3d29 targets tissue-bound C3 fragments in vivo in the retina in a modelof choroidal neovascularization. Four laser spots in each eye werecreated by Argon laser photocoagulation. (FIG. 18D) Brightfield imagerevealing four depigmented CNV lesions in a wild-type mouse injectedwith FITC-HB5. (FIG. 18E) Fluorescent image of the same fundusdemonstrating that no fluorescence is detectable in live CNV miceinjected with FITC-HB5. (FIG. 18F) Brightfield image revealing fourdepigmented CNV lesions in a wild-type mouse injected with FITC-3d29.(FIG. 18G) Fluorescent image of the same fundus, demonstrating thatfluorescence is clearly detectable in live CNV mice injected withFITC-3d29.

FIG. 19. SDS-PAGE of 3d29 scFv and 3d8b scFv. Lane A: Protein Ladder,Lane B: 3d29scFv; Lane C: 3d8b scFv.

FIG. 20. 3d8b scFv block test.

FIG. 21. 3d29 scFv block test.

FIG. 22. 3d8bCrry Protein sequence. Overlapping PCR to amplify. 3d8bCrryand pselko12Crry. Lane 1: 1kB DNA ladder; Lane2: blanket. Lane 3:3d8bscFvCrry; Lane 4: PselKO12scFv Crry, amino acid sequence of 3d scFvCrry fusion with Sp sq sequence underlined, His Tag labeled, Factor Xarecognition sequence underlined, and linker underlined. Sequence legend:SEQ ID NO:32.

FIG. 23. Dot blot to select the positive clones of 3d8bscFv-Crry.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Definitions

As used herein, the terms “treat” and “prevent” may refer to any delayin onset, reduction in the frequency or severity of symptoms,amelioration of symptoms, improvement in patient comfort or function(e.g. joint function), decrease in severity of the disease state, etc.The effect of treatment can be compared to an individual or pool ofindividuals not receiving a given treatment, or to the same patientprior to, or after cessation of, treatment. The term “prevent” generallyrefers to a decrease in the occurrence of a given disease (e.g. anautoimmune, inflammatory autoimmune, cancer, infectious, immune, orother disease) or disease symptoms in a patient. As indicated above, theprevention may be complete (no detectable symptoms) or partial, suchthat fewer symptoms are observed than would likely occur absenttreatment.

By “therapeutically effective dose or amount” as used herein is meant adose that produces effects for which it is administered (e.g. treatingor preventing a disease). The exact dose and formulation will depend onthe purpose of the treatment, and will be ascertainable by one skilledin the art using known techniques (see, e.g., Lieberman, PharmaceuticalDosage Forms (vols. 1-3, 1992); Lloyd, The Art, Science and Technologyof Pharmaceutical Compounding (1999); Remington: The Science andPractice of Pharmacy, 20th Edition, Gennaro, Editor (2003), and Pickar,Dosage Calculations (1999)). For example, for the given parameter, atherapeutically effective amount will show an increase or decrease of atleast 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 75%, 80%, 90%, or at least100%. Therapeutic efficacy can also be expressed as “-fold” increase ordecrease. For example, a therapeutically effective amount can have atleast a 1.2-fold, 1.5-fold, 2-fold, 5-fold, or more effect over astandard control. A therapeutically effective dose or amount mayameliorate one or more symptoms of a disease. A therapeuticallyeffective dose or amount may prevent or delay the onset of a disease orone or more symptoms of a disease when the effect for which it is beingadministered is to treat a person who is at risk of developing thedisease.

The term “diagnosis” refers to a relative probability that a disease(e.g. an autoimmune, inflammatory autoimmune, cancer, infectious,immune, or other disease) is present in the subject. Similarly, the term“prognosis” refers to a relative probability that a certain futureoutcome may occur in the subject with respect to a disease state. Forexample, in the context of the present invention, prognosis can refer tothe likelihood that an individual will develop a disease (e.g. anautoimmune, inflammatory autoimmune, cancer, infectious, immune, orother disease), or the likely severity of the disease (e.g., duration ofdisease). The terms are not intended to be absolute, as will beappreciated by any one of skill in the field of medical diagnostics.

“Nucleic acid” or “oligonucleotide” or “polynucleotide” or grammaticalequivalents used herein means at least two nucleotides covalently linkedtogether. The term “nucleic acid” includes single-, double-, ormultiple-stranded DNA, RNA and analogs (derivatives) thereof.Oligonucleotides are typically from about 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 15, 25,30, 40, 50 or more nucleotides in length, up to about 100 nucleotides inlength. Nucleic acids and polynucleotides are a polymers of any length,including longer lengths, e.g., 200, 300, 500, 1000, 2000, 3000, 5000,7000, 10,000, etc. In certain embodiments. the nucleic acids hereincontain phosphodiester bonds. In other embodiments, nucleic acid analogsare included that may have alternate backbones, comprising, e.g.,phosphoramidate, phosphorothioate, phosphorodithioate, orO-methylphosphoroamidite linkages (see Eckstein, Oligonucleotides andAnalogues: A Practical Approach, Oxford University Press); and peptidenucleic acid backbones and linkages. Other analog nucleic acids includethose with positive backbones; non-ionic backbones, and non-ribosebackbones, including those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,235,033 and5,034,506, and Chapters 6 and 7, ASC Symposium Series 580, CarbohydrateModifications in Antisense Research, Sanghui & Cook, eds. Nucleic acidscontaining one or more carbocyclic sugars are also included within onedefinition of nucleic acids. Modifications of the ribose-phosphatebackbone may be done for a variety of reasons, e.g., to increase thestability and half-life of such molecules in physiological environmentsor as probes on a biochip. Mixtures of naturally occurring nucleic acidsand analogs can be made; alternatively, mixtures of different nucleicacid analogs, and mixtures of naturally occurring nucleic acids andanalogs may be made.

A particular nucleic acid sequence also encompasses “splice variants.”Similarly, a particular protein encoded by a nucleic acid encompassesany protein encoded by a splice variant of that nucleic acid. “Splicevariants,” as the name suggests, are products of alternative splicing ofa gene. After transcription, an initial nucleic acid transcript may bespliced such that different (alternate) nucleic acid splice productsencode different polypeptides. Mechanisms for the production of splicevariants vary, but include alternate splicing of exons. Alternatepolypeptides derived from the same nucleic acid by read-throughtranscription are also encompassed by this definition. Any products of asplicing reaction, including recombinant forms of the splice products,are included in this definition. An example of potassium channel splicevariants is discussed in Leicher, et al., J. Biol. Chem.273(52):35095-35101 (1998).

Nucleic acid is “operably linked” when it is placed into a functionalrelationship with another nucleic acid sequence. For example, DNA for apresequence or secretory leader is operably linked to DNA for apolypeptide if it is expressed as a preprotein that participates in thesecretion of the polypeptide; a promoter or enhancer is operably linkedto a coding sequence if it affects the transcription of the sequence; ora ribosome binding site is operably linked to a coding sequence if it ispositioned so as to facilitate translation. Generally, “operably linked”means that the DNA sequences being linked are near each other, and, inthe case of a secretory leader, contiguous and in reading phase.However, enhancers do not have to be contiguous. Linking is accomplishedby ligation at convenient restriction sites. If such sites do not exist,the synthetic oligonucleotide adaptors or linkers are used in accordancewith conventional practice.

The terms “identical” or percent “identity,” in the context of two ormore nucleic acids or polypeptide sequences, refer to two or moresequences or subsequences that are the same or have a specifiedpercentage of amino acid residues or nucleotides that are the same(i.e., about 60% identity, preferably 61%, 62%, 63%, 64%, 65%, 66%, 67%,68%, 69%, 70%, 71%, 72%, 73%, 74%, 75%, 76%, 77%, 78%, 79%, 80%, 81%,82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%,96%, 97%, 98%, 99% or higher identity over a specified region whencompared and aligned for maximum correspondence over a comparison windowor designated region) as measured using a BLAST or BLAST 2.0 sequencecomparison algorithms with default parameters described below, or bymanual alignment and visual inspection (see, e.g., NCBI web site or thelike). Such sequences are then said to be “substantially identical.”This definition also refers to, or may be applied to, the compliment ofa test sequence. The definition also includes sequences that havedeletions and/or additions, as well as those that have substitutions. Asdescribed below, the preferred algorithms can account for gaps and thelike. Preferably, identity exists over a region that is at least about10 amino acids or 20 nucleotides in length, or more preferably over aregion that is 10-50 amino acids or 20-50 nucleotides in length. As usedherein, percent (%) amino acid sequence identity is defined as thepercentage of amino acids in a candidate sequence that are identical tothe amino acids in a reference sequence, after aligning the sequencesand introducing gaps, if necessary, to achieve the maximum percentsequence identity. Alignment for purposes of determining percentsequence identity can be achieved in various ways that are within theskill in the art, for instance, using publicly available computersoftware such as BLAST, BLAST-2, ALIGN, ALIGN-2 or Megalign (DNASTAR)software. Appropriate parameters for measuring alignment, including anyalgorithms needed to achieve maximal alignment over the full-length ofthe sequences being compared can be determined by known methods.

For sequence comparisons, typically one sequence acts as a referencesequence, to which test sequences are compared. When using a sequencecomparison algorithm, test and reference sequences are entered into acomputer, subsequence coordinates are designated, if necessary, andsequence algorithm program parameters are designated. Preferably,default program parameters can be used, or alternative parameters can bedesignated. The sequence comparison algorithm then calculates thepercent sequence identities for the test sequences relative to thereference sequence, based on the program parameters.

A “comparison window”, as used herein, includes reference to a segmentof any one of the number of contiguous positions selected from the groupconsisting of from 10 to 600, usually about 50 to about 200, moreusually about 100 to about 150 in which a sequence may be compared to areference sequence of the same number of contiguous positions after thetwo sequences are optimally aligned. Methods of alignment of sequencesfor comparison are well-known in the art. Optimal alignment of sequencesfor comparison can be conducted, e.g., by the local homology algorithmof Smith & Waterman, Adv. Appl. Math. 2:482 (1981), by the homologyalignment algorithm of Needleman & Wunsch, J. Mol. Biol. 48:443 (1970),by the search for similarity method of Pearson & Lipman, Proc. Nat'l.Acad. Sci. USA 85:2444 (1988), by computerized implementations of thesealgorithms (GAP, BESTFIT, FASTA, and TFASTA in the Wisconsin GeneticsSoftware Package, Genetics Computer Group, 575 Science Dr., Madison,Wis.), or by manual alignment and visual inspection (see, e.g., CurrentProtocols in Molecular Biology (Ausubel et al., eds. 1995 supplement)).

The phrase “selectively (or specifically) hybridizes to” refers to thebinding, duplexing, or hybridizing of a molecule only to a particularnucleotide sequence with a higher affinity, e.g., under more stringentconditions, than to other nucleotide sequences (e.g., total cellular orlibrary DNA or RNA).

The phrase “stringent hybridization conditions” refers to conditionsunder which a probe will hybridize to its target subsequence, typicallyin a complex mixture of nucleic acids, but to no other sequences.Stringent conditions are sequence-dependent and will be different indifferent circumstances. Longer sequences hybridize specifically athigher temperatures. An extensive guide to the hybridization of nucleicacids is found in Tijssen, Techniques in Biochemistry and MolecularBiology—Hybridization with Nucleic Probes, “Overview of principles ofhybridization and the strategy of nucleic acid assays” (1993).Generally, stringent conditions are selected to be about 5-10° C. lowerthan the thermal melting point (T_(m)) for the specific sequence at adefined ionic strength pH. The T_(m) is the temperature (under definedionic strength, pH, and nucleic concentration) at which 50% of theprobes complementary to the target hybridize to the target sequence atequilibrium (as the target sequences are present in excess, at T_(m),50% of the probes are occupied at equilibrium). Stringent conditions mayalso be achieved with the addition of destabilizing agents such asformamide. For selective or specific hybridization, a positive signal isat least two times background, preferably 10 times backgroundhybridization. Exemplary stringent hybridization conditions can be asfollowing: 50% formamide, 5×SSC, and 1% SDS, incubating at 42° C., or,5×SSC, 1% SDS, incubating at 65° C., with wash in 0.2×SSC, and 0.1% SDSat 65° C.

Nucleic acids that do not hybridize to each other under stringentconditions are still substantially identical if the polypeptides whichthey encode are substantially identical. This occurs, for example, whena copy of a nucleic acid is created using the maximum codon degeneracypermitted by the genetic code. In such cases, the nucleic acidstypically hybridize under moderately stringent hybridization conditions.Exemplary “moderately stringent hybridization conditions” include ahybridization in a buffer of 40% formamide, 1 M NaCl, 1% SDS at 37° C.,and a wash in 1×SSC at 45° C. A positive hybridization is at least twicebackground. Those of ordinary skill will readily recognize thatalternative hybridization and wash conditions can be utilized to provideconditions of similar stringency. Additional guidelines for determininghybridization parameters are provided in numerous reference, e.g., andCurrent Protocols in Molecular Biology, ed. Ausubel, et al.

Twenty amino acids are commonly found in proteins. Those amino acids canbe grouped into nine classes or groups based on the chemical propertiesof their side chains. Substitution of one amino acid residue for anotherwithin the same class or group is referred to herein as a “conservative”substitution. Conservative amino acid substitutions can frequently bemade in a protein without significantly altering the conformation orfunction of the protein. Substitution of one amino acid residue foranother from a different class or group is referred to herein as a“non-conservative” substitution. In contrast, non-conservative aminoacid substitutions tend to modify conformation and function of aprotein.

TABLE 1 Example of amino acid classification Small/Aliphatic residues:Gly, Ala, Val, Leu, Ile Cyclic Imino Acid: Pro Hydroxyl-containingResidues: Ser, Thr Acidic Residues: Asp, Glu Amide Residues: Asn, GlnBasic Residues: Lys, Arg Imidazole Residue: His Aromatic Residues: Phe,Tyr, Trp Sulfur-containing Residues: Met, Cys

In some embodiments, the conservative amino acid substitution comprisessubstituting any of glycine (G), alanine (A), isoleucine (I), valine(V), and leucine (L) for any other of these aliphatic amino acids;serine (S) for threonine (T) and vice versa; aspartic acid (D) forglutamic acid (E) and vice versa; glutamine (Q) for asparagine (N) andvice versa; lysine (K) for arginine (R) and vice versa; phenylalanine(F), tyrosine (Y) and tryptophan (W) for any other of these aromaticamino acids; and methionine (M) for cysteine (C) and vice versa. Othersubstitutions can also be considered conservative, depending on theenvironment of the particular amino acid and its role in thethree-dimensional structure of the protein. For example, glycine (G) andalanine (A) can frequently be interchangeable, as can alanine (A) andvaline (V). Methionine (M), which is relatively hydrophobic, canfrequently be interchanged with leucine and isoleucine, and sometimeswith valine. Lysine (K) and arginine (R) are frequently interchangeablein locations in which the significant feature of the amino acid residueis its charge and the differing pKs of these two amino acid residues arenot significant. Still other changes can be considered “conservative” inparticular environments (see, e.g., BIOCHEMISTRY at pp. 13-15, 2nd ed.Lubert Stryer ed. (Stanford University); Henikoff et al., Proc. Nat'lAcad. Sci. USA (1992) 89:10915-10919; Lei et al., J. Biol. Chem. (1995)270(20): 11882-11886).

In some embodiments, the non-conservative amino acid substitutioncomprises substituting any of glycine (G), alanine (A), isoleucine (I),valine (V), and leucine (L) for any of serine (S), threonine (T),aspartic acid (D), glutamic acid (E), glutamine (Q), asparagine (N),lysine (K), arginine (R), phenylalanine (F), tyrosine (Y), tryptophan(W), methionine (M), cysteine (C), histidine (H), and proline (P). Insome embodiments, the non-conservative amino acid substitution comprisessubstituting any of serine (S) and threonine (T) for any of glycine (G),alanine (A), isoleucine (I), valine (V), leucine (L), aspartic acid (D),glutamic acid (E), glutamine (Q), asparagine (N), lysine (K), arginine(R), phenylalanine (F), tyrosine (Y), tryptophan (W), methionine (M),cysteine (C), histidine (H) and proline (P). In some embodiments, thenon-conservative amino acid substitution comprises substituting any ofaspartic acid (D) and glutamic acid (E) for any of glycine (G), alanine(A), isoleucine (I), valine (V), leucine (L), serine (S), threonine (T),glutamine (Q), asparagine (N), lysine (K), arginine (R), phenylalanine(F), tyrosine (Y), tryptophan (W), methionine (M), cysteine (C),histidine (H), and proline (P). In some embodiments, thenon-conservative amino acid substitution comprises substituting any ofglutamine (Q) and asparagine (N) for any of glycine (G), alanine (A),isoleucine (I), valine (V), leucine (L), serine (S), threonine (T),aspartic acid (D), glutamic acid (E), lysine (K), arginine (R),phenylalanine (F), tyrosine (Y), tryptophan (W), methionine (M),cysteine (C), histidine (H), and proline (P). In some embodiments, thenon-conservative amino acid substitution comprises substituting any oflysine (K) and arginine (R) for any of glycine (G), alanine (A),isoleucine (I), valine (V), leucine (L), serine (S), threonine (T),aspartic acid (D), glutamic acid (E), glutamine (Q), asparagine (N),phenylalanine (F), tyrosine (Y), tryptophan (W), methionine (M),cysteine (C), histidine (H), and proline (P). In some embodiments, thenon-conservative amino acid substitution comprises substituting any ofphenylalanine (F), tyrosine (Y), and tryptophan (W) for any of glycine(G), alanine (A), isoleucine (I), valine (V), leucine (L), serine (S),threonine (T), aspartic acid (D), glutamic acid (E), glutamine (Q),asparagine (N), lysine (K), arginine (R), methionine (M), cysteine (C),histidine (H), and proline (P). In some embodiments, thenon-conservative amino acid substitution comprises substituting any ofmethionine (M) and cysteine (C) for any of glycine (G), alanine (A),isoleucine (I), valine (V), leucine (L), serine (S), threonine (T),aspartic acid (D), glutamic acid (E), glutamine (Q), asparagine (N),lysine (K), arginine (R), phenylalanine (F), tyrosine (Y), tryptophan(W), histidine (H), and proline (P). In some embodiments, thenon-conservative amino acid substitution comprises substitutinghistidine (H) for any of glycine (G), alanine (A), isoleucine (I),valine (V), leucine (L), serine (S), threonine (T), aspartic acid (D),glutamic acid (E), glutamine (Q), asparagine (N), lysine (K), arginine(R), phenylalanine (F), tyrosine (Y), tryptophan (W), methionine (M),cysteine (C), and proline (P). In some embodiments, the non-conservativeamino acid substitution comprises substituting proline (P) for any ofglycine (G), alanine (A), isoleucine (I), valine (V), leucine (L),serine (S), threonine (T), aspartic acid (D), glutamic acid (E),glutamine (Q), asparagine (N), lysine (K), arginine (R), phenylalanine(F), tyrosine (Y), tryptophan (W), methionine (M), cysteine (C), andhistidine (H).

“Polypeptide,” “peptide,” and “protein” are used herein interchangeablyand mean any peptide-linked chain of amino acids, regardless of lengthor post-translational modification. As noted below, the polypeptidesdescribed herein can be, e.g., wild-type proteins, biologically-activefragments of the wild-type proteins, or variants of the wild-typeproteins or fragments. Variants, in accordance with the disclosure, cancontain amino acid substitutions, deletions, or insertions. Thesubstitutions can be conservative or non-conservative. In someembodiments, conservative substitutions typically include substitutionswithin the following groups: glycine and alanine; valine, isoleucine,and leucine; aspartic acid and glutamic acid; asparagine, glutamine,serine and threonine; lysine, histidine and arginine; and phenylalanineand tyrosine.

Following expression, the proteins (e.g. antibodies, antigen-bindingfragments thereof, conjugates, antibody-conjugates) can be isolated. Theterm “purified” or “isolated” as applied to any of the proteinsdescribed herein (e.g., a conjugate described herein, antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof described herein) refers to apolypeptide that has been separated or purified from components (e.g.,proteins or other naturally-occurring biological or organic molecules)which naturally accompany it, e.g., other proteins, lipids, and nucleicacid in a prokaryote expressing the proteins. Typically, a polypeptideis purified when it constitutes at least 60 (e.g., at least 65, 70, 75,80, 85, 90, 92, 95, 97, or 99) %, by weight, of the total protein in asample.

A “label” or a “detectable moiety” is a composition detectable byspectroscopic, photochemical, biochemical, immunochemical, chemical,magnetic resonance imaging, or other physical means. For example, usefuldetectable moieties include ³²P, fluorescent dyes, electron-densereagents, enzymes (e.g., as commonly used in an ELISA), biotin,digoxigenin, paramagnetic molecules, paramagnetic nanoparticles,ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide (“USPIO”) nanoparticles, USPIOnanoparticle aggregates, superparamagnetic iron oxide (“SPIO”)nanoparticles, SPIO nanoparticle aggregates, standard superparamagneticiron oxide (“SSPIO”), SSPIO nanoparticle aggregates, polydispersesuperparamagnetic iron oxide (“PSPIO”), PSPIO nanoparticle aggregates,monochrystalline SPIO, monochrystalline SPIO aggregates,monochrystalline iron oxide nanoparticles, monochrystalline iron oxide,other nanoparticle contrast agents, liposomes or other delivery vehiclescontaining Gadolinium chelate (“Gd-chelate”) molecules, Gadolinium,radioisotopes, radionuclides (e.g. carbon-11, nitrogen-13, oxygen-15,fluorine-18, rubidium-82), fluorodeoxyglucose (e.g. fluorine-18labeled), any gamma ray emitting radionuclides, positron-emittingradionuclide, radiolabeled glucose, radiolabeled water, radiolabeledammonia, biocolloids, microbubbles (e.g. including microbubble shellsincluding albumin, galactose, lipid, and/or polymers; microbubble gascore including air, heavy gas(es), perfluorcarbon, nitrogen,octafluoropropane, perflexane lipid microsphere, perflutren, etc.),iodinated contrast agents (e.g. iohexol, iodixanol, ioversol, iopamidol,ioxilan, iopromide, diatrizoate, metrizoate, ioxaglate), barium sulfate,thorium dioxide, gold, gold nanoparticles, gold nanoparticle aggregates,fluorophores, two-photon fluorophores, or haptens and proteins or otherentities which can be made detectable, e.g., by incorporating aradiolabel into a peptide or antibody specifically reactive with atarget peptide. Detectable moieties also include any of the abovecompositions encapsulated in nanoparticles, particles, aggregates,coated with additional compositions, derivatized for binding to atargeting agent (e.g. antibody or antigen binding fragment). Any methodknown in the art for conjugating an antibody to the label may beemployed, e.g., using methods described in Hermanson, BioconjugateTechniques 1996, Academic Press, Inc., San Diego.

An “anti-C3d antibody” is an antibody, or antigen binding fragmentthereof, that binds human C3d. An antigen binding fragment of ananti-C3d antibody is any fragment of an anti-C3d antibody capable ofbinding human C3d (e.g. as described herein). In some embodiments, ananti-C3d antibody or antigen binding fragment thereof also binds humanC3dg and/or human iC3b. In some embodiments, an anti-C3d antibody orantigen binding fragment thereof specifically binds human C3d. In someembodiments, an anti-C3d antibody or antigen binding fragment thereofpreferentially binds human C3d. In some embodiments, an anti-C3dantibody or antigen binding fragment thereof binds C3d with higheraffinity than it binds human C3.

An “anti-C3dg antibody” is an antibody, or antigen binding fragmentthereof, that binds human C3dg. An antigen binding fragment of ananti-C3dg antibody is any fragment of an anti-C3dg antibody capable ofbinding human C3dg (e.g. as described herein). In some embodiments, ananti-C3dg antibody or antigen binding fragment thereof also binds humanC3d and/or human iC3b. In some embodiments, an anti-C3dg antibody orantigen binding fragment thereof specifically binds human C3dg. In someembodiments, an anti-C3d antibody or antigen binding fragment thereofpreferentially binds human C3dg. In some embodiments, an anti-C3dgantibody or antigen binding fragment thereof binds C3dg with higheraffinity than it binds human C3.

An “anti-iC3b antibody” is an antibody, or antigen binding fragmentthereof, that binds human iC3b. An antigen binding fragment of ananti-iC3b antibody is any fragment of an anti-iC3b antibody capable ofbinding human iC3b (e.g. as described herein). In some embodiments, ananti-iC3b antibody or antigen binding fragment thereof also binds humanC3dg and/or human C3d. In some embodiments, an anti-iC3b antibody orantigen binding fragment thereof specifically binds human iC3b. In someembodiments, an anti-iC3b antibody or antigen binding fragment thereofpreferentially binds human iC3b. In some embodiments, an anti-iC3bantibody or antigen binding fragment thereof binds iC3b with higheraffinity than it binds human C3.

As used herein, the term “pharmaceutically acceptable” is usedsynonymously with “physiologically acceptable” and “pharmacologicallyacceptable”. A pharmaceutical composition will generally comprise agentsfor buffering and preservation in storage, and can include buffers andcarriers for appropriate delivery, depending on the route ofadministration. The term “diagnostically acceptable” is usedsynonymously with “physiologically acceptable” and “pharmacologicallyacceptable” and refers to diagnostic compositions.

“Pharmaceutically acceptable excipient” and “pharmaceutically acceptablecarrier” refer to a substance that aids the administration of an activeagent to and absorption by a subject and can be included in thecompositions of the present invention without causing a significantadverse toxicological effect on the patient. Non-limiting examples ofpharmaceutically acceptable excipients include water, NaCl, normalsaline solutions, lactated Ringer's, normal sucrose, normal glucose,binders, fillers, disintegrants, lubricants, coatings, sweeteners,flavors, salt solutions (such as Ringer's solution), alcohols, oils,gelatins, carbohydrates such as lactose, amylose or starch, fatty acidesters, hydroxymethycellulose, polyvinyl pyrrolidine, and colors, andthe like. Such preparations can be sterilized and, if desired, mixedwith auxiliary agents such as lubricants, preservatives, stabilizers,wetting agents, emulsifiers, salts for influencing osmotic pressure,buffers, coloring, and/or aromatic substances and the like that do notdeleteriously react with the compounds of the invention. One of skill inthe art will recognize that other pharmaceutical excipients are usefulin the present invention.

Unless indicated otherwise, the term “about” in the context of a numericvalue indicated the nominal value±10% of the nominal value.

Antibody Compositions and Uses

As used herein, the term “antibody” or “immunoglobulin” refers toproteins (including glycoproteins) of the immunoglobulin (Ig)superfamily of proteins. An antibody or immunoglobulin (Ig) molecule maybe tetrameric, comprising two identical light chain polypeptides and twoidentical heavy chain polypeptides. The two heavy chains are linkedtogether by disulfide bonds, and each heavy chain is linked to a lightchain by a disulfide bond. Each full-length Ig molecule contains atleast two binding sites for a specific target or antigen.

The immune system produces several different classes of Ig molecules(isotypes), including IgA, IgD, IgE, IgG, and IgM, each distinguished bythe particular class of heavy chain polypeptide present: alpha (α) foundin IgA, delta (δ) found in IgD, epsilon (ε) found in IgE, gamma (γ)found in IgG, and mu (μ) found in IgM. There are at least five differentγ heavy chain polypeptides (isotypes) found in IgG. In contrast, thereare only two light chain polypeptide isotypes, referred to as kappa (κ)and lambda (λ) chains. The distinctive characteristics of antibodyisotypes are defined by sequences of the constant domains of the heavychain.

An IgG molecule comprises two light chains (either κ or λ form) and twoheavy chains (γ form) bound together by disulfide bonds. The κ and λforms of IgG light chain each contain a domain of relatively variableamino acid sequences, called the variable region (variously referred toas a “V_(L)-,” “V_(κ)-,” or “V_(λ)-region”) and a domain of relativelyconserved amino acid sequences, called the constant region(C_(L)-region). Similarly, each IgG heavy chain contains a variableregion (V_(H)-region) and one or more conserved regions: a complete IgGheavy chain contains three constant domains (“C_(H)1-,” “C_(H)2-,” and“C_(H)3-regions”) and a hinge region. Within each V_(L)- orV_(H)-region, hypervariable regions, also known ascomplementarity-determining regions (“CDR”), are interspersed betweenrelatively conserved framework regions (“FR”). Generally, the variableregion of a light or heavy chain polypeptide contains four FRs and threeCDRs arranged in the following order along the polypeptide:NH₂—FR1-CDR1-FR2-CDR2-FR3-CDR3-FR4-COOH. Together the CDRs and FRsdetermine the three-dimensional structure of the IgG binding site andthus, the specific target protein or antigen to which that IgG moleculebinds. Each IgG molecule is dimeric, able to bind two antigen molecules.Cleavage of a dimeric IgG with the protease papain produces twoidentical antigen-binding fragments (“Fab′”) and an “Fc” fragment or Fcdomain, so named because it is readily crystallized.

As used throughout the present disclosure, the term “antibody” furtherrefers to a whole or intact antibody (e.g., IgM, IgG, IgA, IgD, or IgE)molecule that is generated by any one of a variety of methods that areknown in the art and described herein. The term “antibody” includes apolyclonal antibody, a monoclonal antibody, a chimerized or chimericantibody, a humanized antibody, a deimmunized human antibody, and afully human antibody. The antibody can be made in or derived from any ofa variety of species, e.g., mammals such as humans, non-human primates(e.g., monkeys, baboons, or chimpanzees), horses, cattle, pigs, sheep,goats, dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, gerbils, hamsters, rats, andmice. The antibody can be a purified or a recombinant antibody.

As used herein, the term “epitope” refers to the site on a protein(e.g., a human complement component C3d or C3dg or iC3b protein) that isbound by an antibody. “Overlapping epitopes” include at least one (e.g.,two, three, four, five, or six) common amino acid residue(s).

As used herein, the terms “specific binding” or “specifically binds”refer to two molecules forming a complex (e.g., a complex between anantibody and a complement component C3d or C3dg or iC3b protein) that isrelatively stable under physiologic conditions. Typically, binding isconsidered specific when the association constant (K_(a)) is higher than10⁶ M−1. Thus, an antibody can specifically bind to a C3d or C3dg oriC3b protein with a Ka of at least (or greater than) 10⁶ (e.g., at leastor greater than 10⁷, 10⁸, 10⁹, 10¹⁰, 10¹¹, 10¹², 10¹³, 10¹⁴, or 10¹⁵ orhigher) M⁻¹.

Methods for determining whether an antibody binds to a protein antigenand/or the affinity for an antibody to a protein antigen are known inthe art. For example, the binding of an antibody to a protein antigencan be detected and/or quantified using a variety of techniques such as,but not limited to, Western blot, dot blot, surface plasmon resonancemethod (e.g., BIAcore system; Pharmacia Biosensor AB, Uppsala, Swedenand Piscataway, N.J.), or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA).See, e.g., Harlow and Lane (1988) “Antibodies: A Laboratory Manual” ColdSpring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.; Benny K. C. Lo(2004) “Antibody Engineering: Methods and Protocols,” Humana Press(ISBN: 1588290921); Borrebaek (1992) “Antibody Engineering, A PracticalGuide,” W.H. Freeman and Co., NY; Borrebaek (1995) “AntibodyEngineering,” 2nd Edition, Oxford University Press, NY, Oxford; Johne etal. (1993) J. Immunol. Meth. 160:191-198; Jonsson et al. (1993) Ann.Biol. Clin. 51:19-26; and Jonsson et al. (1991) Biotechniques11:620-627. See also, U.S. Pat. No. 6,355,245.

Immunoassays which can be used to analyze immunospecific binding andcross-reactivity of the antibodies include, but are not limited to,competitive and non-competitive assay systems using techniques such asWestern blots, RIA, ELISA (enzyme linked immunosorbent assay),“sandwich” immunoassays, immunoprecipitation assays, immunodiffusionassays, agglutination assays, complement-fixation assays,immunoradiometric assays, fluorescent immunoassays, and protein Aimmunoassays. Such assays are routine and well known in the art.

Antibodies can also be assayed using any surface plasmon resonance(SPR)-based assays known in the art for characterizing the kineticparameters of the interaction of the antibody with C3d or C3dg or a C3protein fragment. Any SPR instrument commercially available including,but not limited to, BIAcore Instruments (Biacore AB; Uppsala, Sweden);IAsys instruments (Affinity Sensors; Franklin, Mass.); IBIS system(Windsor Scientific Limited; Berks, UK), SPR-CELLIA systems (NipponLaser and Electronics Lab; Hokkaido, Japan), and SPR Detector Spreeta(Texas Instruments; Dallas, Tex.) can be used in the methods describedherein. See, e.g., Mullett et al. (2000) Methods 22: 77-91; Dong et al.(2002) Reviews in Mol Biotech 82: 303-323; Fivash et al. (1998) CurrOpin Biotechnol 9: 97-101; and Rich et al. (2000) Curr Opin Biotechnol11: 54-61.

In some embodiments, the present disclosure provides an anti-C3dantibody or anti-C3dg antibody or anti-iC3b antibody, or antigen-bindingfragments thereof, which specifically bind to human C3d with a K_(D)value of 1.1×10⁻⁹ M or better. In some embodiments, such a K_(D) valueis in the range from 1.1×10⁻⁹ M to 3.6×10⁻¹⁰ M. In some embodiments, theantibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof binds to human C3d with anaffinity about K_(D)=1.06×10⁻⁹ M. In some embodiments, the antibody ismAb 3d29. In some embodiments, the antibody or antigen-binding fragmentthereof binds to human C3d with an affinity about K_(D)=4.65×10⁻¹⁰ M. Insome embodiments, the antibody is mAb 3d8b. In some embodiments, theantibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof binds to human C3d with anaffinity about K_(D)=3.67×10⁻¹⁰ M. In some embodiments, the antibody ismAb 3d9a. In embodiments, the antibody is a derivative (e.g. humanized,chimerized, antigen-binding fragment thereof) of mAb 3d29. Inembodiments, the antibody is a derivative (e.g. humanized, chimerized,antigen-binding fragment thereof) of mAb 3d8b. In embodiments, theantibody is a derivative (e.g. humanized, chimerized, antigen-bindingfragment thereof) of mAb 3d9a.

Measurements to determine antibody affinity are standard and well knowntechniques. As an exemplary method to measure affinity, BIAcore analysiswas used to quantify humanized antibodies' respective affinities forhuman C5a. See, e.g., Karlsson and Larsson (2004) Methods Mol Biol248:389-415. Briefly, each of the humanized antibodies was screened with3-4 concentrations of human C5a (antigen) using a capture technique. Theantibodies were captured by an anti-Fc (human) directly immobilized on aCM5 sensor chip with various concentrations in the range from 0.6 nM to5.9 nM of human C5a passed over the sensor chip surface. The surface wasregenerated with 20 mM HCl, 0.02% P20 after each cycle to remove boundantibody and antigen. The data were evaluated using Biacore BIAevaluation software using a 1:1 Langmuir Model Fit (Rmax:Global Fit;RI:Local Fit). Kinetics information such as (k_(a): Association Rateconstant), (k_(d):Dissociation Rate constant) and K_(D) (EquilibriumDissociation constant) was obtained from the fit. These and similartechniques are applicable to other antibodies such as those that bind toC3d or C3dg or iC3b.

In some embodiments, the disclosure provides an antibody, orantigen-binding fragment thereof, which preferably binds to C3d or C3dgor iC3b compared to binding to complement component proteins C3, C3a,C3b, C3c, or C3f. In some embodiments, the antibody is 3d8b, 3d9a, or3d29. In some embodiments, an anti-C3d antibody or anti-C3dg antibody oranti-iC3b antibody described herein binds to C3d or C3dg or iC3b but notto any one of complement component proteins C3, C3a, C3b, C3c, or C3f.The complement C3 protein and the nucleic acid encoding the protein arewell known within the fields of Immunology and Biology and the aminoacid and nucleic acid sequences of C3 and the C3 fragments describedherein are well known or easily obtained by one of ordinary skill in theart related to the subject matter of the disclosure herein. For example,the human C3 amino acid and nucleic acid sequences may be found in theUniProtKB/Swiss-Prot under accession number P01024 and GenBank databaseunder accession number NM_(—)000064.2. Accession number P01024 andNM_(—)000064.2 also provide sequence information for C3 fragments (e.g.C3dg, C3d, iC3b formed by cleavage of C3b) and additional referencesrelated to the proteins and nucleic acids. The identity and sequence ofC3 fragments is also discussed in De Bruijn, M. H. L. and Fey G. H.,Proc Natl Acad Sci USA (1985) February; 82(3):708-12. In someembodiments, the present disclosure provides an antibody, orantigen-binding fragment thereof, which binds to C3d or C3dg or iC3b ata comparable affinity as its binding to complement component proteinsC3, C3a, C3b, C3c, or C3f. In some embodiments, the antibody is 3d11, or3d31. In some embodiments, the present disclosure provides an antibody,or antigen-binding fragment thereof, which binds weakly to C3d or C3dgor iC3b but not to any one of complement component proteins C3, C3a,C3b, C3c, or C3f. In some embodiments, the antibody is 3d3, or 3d15.

Thus, in some embodiments, an antibody or antigen-binding fragmentthereof binds to free C3d or C3dg or iC3b (e.g. human proteins such ashC3d or hC3dg or hiC3b) with an affinity that is at least 2 (e.g. atleast 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100,110, 120, 130, 140, 150, 160, 170, 180, 190, 200, 225, 250, 275, 300,400, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900, 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000, 5000, 6000, 7000,8000, 9000, or 10000)-fold greater than its corresponding affinity foruncleaved, native C3 protein. In some embodiments, the preferentialbinding is 1.1-fold, 1.2-fold, 1.3-fold, 1.4-fold, 1.5-fold, 1.6-fold,1.7-fold, 1.8-fold, 1.9-fold, 2-fold, 3-fold, 4-fold, 5-fold, 6-fold,7-fold, 8-fold, 9-fold, 10-fold, 20-fold, 30-fold, 40-fold, 50-fold,60-fold, 70-fold, 80-fold, 90-fold, 100-fold, 200-fold, 300-fold,400-fold, 500-fold, 600-fold, 700-fold, 800-fold, 900-fold, 1000-fold,2000-fold, 3000-fold, 4000-fold, 5000-fold, 6000-fold, 7000-fold,8000-fold, 9000-fold, 10000 fold, 100,000-fold, or 1,000,000-foldgreater for free C3d or C3dg or iC3b than for uncleaved, native C3protein.

In some embodiments, the disclosure provides an antibody, orantigen-binding fragment thereof, which preferably binds to deposited oropsonized C3 fragments, e.g., C3d or C3dg or iC3b, compared to bindingto free or circulating or undeposited C3 fragments. In some embodiments,such an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof only binds todeposited C3 fragments but not free C3 or C3 fragments. In otherembodiments, the present disclosure includes antibodies which bind tocomplement fragment C3d or C3dg or iC3b and are able to discriminatebetween tissue bound C3 fragments from circulating C3 (e.g., C3, C3b, or(C3H₂O). In some embodiments, such antibodies include mAbs 3d9a, 3d29and 3d8b. In some embodiments, such antibodies include an antibodyselected from the antibodies described herein. In some embodiments, suchantigen-binding fragments include an antigen-binding fragment describedherein. In some embodiments, antibodies of the invention bind to C3d orC3dg or iC3b with greater specificity than commercially availableanti-C3d antibodies. In some embodiments, the commercially availableanti-C3d antibodies are designated by the Quidel catalog numbers A207and A250, and are commercially available from the Quidel Corporation(Quidel Corp., San Diego and Santa Clara, Calif.).

In some embodiments, the present disclosure also provides antibodies, orantigen-binding fragments thereof, which are variants of mousemonoclonal antibodies 3d8b, 3d9a, 3d29, 3d11, 3d31, 3d3, 3d15, 3d10, and3d16 and maintain the C3d or C3dg or iC3b binding ability of these mouseantibodies. For example, the present disclosure provides an anti-C3d oranti-C3dg antibody or anti-iC3b antibody, or antigen-binding fragmentsthereof, which is a polyclonal antibody, a monoclonal antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof, chimerized or chimeric antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof, humanized antibody or antigen-bindingfragment thereof, deimmunized human antibody or antigen-binding fragmentthereof, fully human antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof,single chain antibody, single chain Fv fragment (scFv), Fv, Fd fragment,Fab fragment, Fab′ fragment, F(ab′)₂ fragment, diabody orantigen-binding fragment thereof, minibody or antigen-binding fragmentthereof, triabody or antigen-binding fragment thereof, domain antibodyor antigen-binding fragment thereof, camelid antibody or antigen-bindingfragment thereof, dromedary antibody or antigen-binding fragmentthereof, phage-displayed antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof,or antibody, or antigen-binding fragment thereof, identified with arepetitive backbone array (e.g. repetitive antigen display). Forexample, the present disclosure provides chimerized, humanized, orsingle-chain versions of 3d8b, 3d9a, 3d29, etc.

Methods for preparing a hybridoma cell line include immunizing C57Bl/6mice by injecting subcutaneously and/or intraperitoneally an immunogeniccomposition containing human C3d or C3dg or iC3b protein (or animmunogenic fragment thereof) several times, e.g., four to six times,over several months, e.g., between two and four months. Spleen cellsfrom the immunized mice are taken two to four days after the lastinjection and fused with cells of the myeloma cell line Sp2/0 in thepresence of a fusion promoter, preferably polyethylene glycol.Preferably, the myeloma cells are fused with a three- to twenty-foldexcess of spleen cells from the immunized mice in a solution containingabout 30% to about 50% polyethylene glycol of a molecular weight around4000. After the fusion, the cells are expanded in suitable culture mediaas described supra, supplemented with a selection medium, for exampleHAT medium, at regular intervals in order to prevent normal myelomacells from overgrowing the desired hybridoma cells.

The antibodies and fragments thereof can be, in some embodiments,“chimeric.” Chimeric antibodies and antigen-binding fragments thereofcomprise portions from two or more different species (e.g., mouse andhuman). Chimeric antibodies can be produced with mouse variable regionsof desired specificity spliced onto human constant domain gene segments(see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,816,567). In this manner, non-humanantibodies can be modified to make them more suitable for human clinicalapplication (e.g., methods for treating or preventing a complementassociated disorder in a human subject).

The monoclonal antibodies of the present disclosure include “humanized”forms of the non-human (e.g., mouse) antibodies. Humanized orCDR-grafted mAbs are particularly useful as therapeutic agents forhumans because they are not cleared from the circulation as rapidly asmouse antibodies and do not typically provoke an adverse immunereaction. Methods of preparing humanized antibodies are generally wellknown in the art. For example, humanization can be essentially performedfollowing the method of Winter and co-workers (see, e.g., Jones et al.(1986) Nature 321:522-525; Riechmann et al. (1988) Nature 332:323-327;and Verhoeyen et al. (1988) Science 239:1534-1536), by substitutingrodent CDRs or CDR sequences for the corresponding sequences of a humanantibody. Also see, e.g., Staelens et al. (2006) Mol Immunol43:1243-1257. In some embodiments, humanized forms of non-human (e.g.,mouse) antibodies are human antibodies (recipient antibody) in whichhypervariable (CDR) region residues of the recipient antibody arereplaced by hypervariable region residues from a non-human species(donor antibody) such as a mouse, rat, rabbit, or non-human primatehaving the desired specificity, affinity, and binding capacity. In someinstances, framework region residues of the human immunoglobulin arealso replaced by corresponding non-human residues (so called “backmutations”). In addition, phage display libraries can be used to varyamino acids at chosen positions within the antibody sequence. Theproperties of a humanized antibody are also affected by the choice ofthe human framework. Furthermore, humanized and chimerized antibodiescan be modified to comprise residues that are not found in the recipientantibody or in the donor antibody in order to further improve antibodyproperties, such as, for example, affinity or effector function.

Fully human antibodies are also provided in the disclosure. The term“human antibody” includes antibodies having variable and constantregions (if present) derived from human germline immunoglobulinsequences. Human antibodies can include amino acid residues not encodedby human germline immunoglobulin sequences (e.g., mutations introducedby random or site-specific mutagenesis in vitro or by somatic mutationin vivo). However, the term “human antibody” does not include antibodiesin which CDR sequences derived from the germline of another mammalianspecies, such as a mouse, have been grafted onto human frameworksequences (i.e., humanized antibodies). Fully human or human antibodiesmay be derived from transgenic mice carrying human antibody genes(carrying the variable (V), diversity (D), joining (J), and constant (C)exons) or from human cells. For example, it is now possible to producetransgenic animals (e.g., mice) that are capable, upon immunization, ofproducing a full repertoire of human antibodies in the absence ofendogenous immunoglobulin production. (See, e.g., Jakobovits et al.(1993) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 90:2551; Jakobovits et al. (1993)Nature 362:255-258; Bruggemann et al. (1993) Year in Immunol. 7:33; andDuchosal et al. (1992) Nature 355:258.) Transgenic mice strains can beengineered to contain gene sequences from unrearranged humanimmunoglobulin genes. The human sequences may code for both the heavyand light chains of human antibodies and would function correctly in themice, undergoing rearrangement to provide a wide antibody repertoiresimilar to that in humans. The transgenic mice can be immunized with thetarget protein (e.g., a complement component C3d or C3dg or iC3bprotein, fragments thereof, or cells expressing C3d or C3dg or iC3bprotein) to create a diverse array of specific antibodies and theirencoding RNA. Nucleic acids encoding the antibody chain components ofsuch antibodies may then be cloned from the animal into a displayvector. Typically, separate populations of nucleic acids encoding heavyand light chain sequences are cloned, and the separate populations thenrecombined on insertion into the vector, such that any given copy of thevector receives a random combination of a heavy and a light chain. Thevector is designed to express antibody chains so that they can beassembled and displayed on the outer surface of a display packagecontaining the vector. For example, antibody chains can be expressed asfusion proteins with a phage coat protein from the outer surface of thephage. Thereafter, display packages can be screened for display ofantibodies binding to a target.

Thus, in some embodiments, the disclosure provides, e.g., humanized,deimmunized or primatized antibodies comprising one or more of thecomplementarity determining regions (CDRs) of the mouse monoclonalantibodies described herein, which retain the ability (e.g., at least50, 60, 70, 80, 90, or 100%, or even greater than 100%) of the mousemonoclonal antibody counterpart to bind to its antigen (e.g., C3d orC3dg or iC3b). For example, the disclosure features a humanized antibodycomprising the set of six CDRs (e.g., heavy chain CDR1, heavy chainCDR2, heavy chain CDR3, light chain CDR1, light chain CDR2, and lightchain CDR3) of any one of mouse monoclonal antibodies 3d8b, 3d9a, 3d29,3d11, 3d31, 3d3, 3d15, 3d10, or 3d16 and human framework regions (withor without human constant or Fc regions).

The exact boundaries of CDRs and framework regions have been defineddifferently according to different methods and are well known to one ofordinary skill in the art of antibody engineering. In some embodiments,the positions of the CDRs or framework regions within a light or heavychain variable domain can be as defined by Kabat et al. [(1991)“Sequences of Proteins of Immunological Interest.” NIH Publication No.91-3242, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, Md.].In such cases, the CDRs can be referred to as “Kabat CDRs” (e.g., “KabatLCDR2” or “Kabat HCDR1”) and the framework regions can be referred to as“Kabat framework regions,” (e.g., “Kabat LFR1” or “Kabat HFR3”). In someembodiments, the positions of the CDRs or framework regions of a lightor heavy chain variable region can be as defined by Chothia et al.(1989) Nature 342:877-883. Accordingly, these regions can be referred toas “Chothia CDRs” (e.g., “Chothia LCDR2” or “Chothia HCDR3”) or “Chothiaframework regions” (e.g., “Chothia LFR1” or “Chothia LFR3”),respectively. In some embodiments, the positions of the CDRs orframework regions of the light and heavy chain variable regions can beas defined by a Kabat-Chothia combined definition. In such embodiments,these regions can be referred to as “combined Kabat-Chothia CDRs” or“combined Kabat-Chothia framework regions,” respectively. Thomas et al.[(1996) Mol Immunol 33(17/18):1389-1401] exemplifies the identificationof CDRs and framework region boundaries according to Kabat and Chothiadefinitions.

In some embodiments, the positions of the CDRs and/or framework regionswith a light or heavy chain variable domain can be as defined byHonnegger and Plückthun [(2001) J Mol Biol 309: 657-670].

In addition, human antibodies can be derived from phage-displaylibraries (Hoogenboom et al. (1991) J. Mol. Biol. 227:381; Marks et al.(1991) J. Mol. Biol., 222:581-597; and Vaughan et al. (1996) NatureBiotech 14:309 (1996)). Synthetic phage libraries can be created whichuse randomized combinations of synthetic human antibody V-regions. Byselection on antigen fully human antibodies can be made in which theV-regions are very human-like in nature. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos.6,794,132, 6,680,209, 4,634,666, and Ostberg et al. (1983), Hybridoma2:361-367, the contents of each of which are incorporated herein byreference in their entirety.

For the generation of human antibodies, also see Mendez et al. (1998)Nature Genetics 15:146-156 and Green and Jakobovits (1998) J. Exp. Med.188:483-495, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated byreference in their entirety. Human antibodies are further discussed anddelineated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,939,598; 6,673,986; 6,114,598; 6,075,181;6,162,963; 6,150,584; 6,713,610; and 6,657,103 as well as U.S. PatentApplication Publication Nos. 2003-0229905 A1, 2004-0010810 A1, US2004-0093622 A1, 2006-0040363 A1, 2005-0054055 A1, 2005-0076395 A1, and2005-0287630 A1. See also International Publication Nos. WO 94/02602, WO96/34096, and WO 98/24893, and European Patent No. EP 0 463 151 B1. Thedisclosures of each of the above-cited patents, applications, andreferences are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

In an alternative approach, others, including GenPharm International,Inc., have utilized a “minilocus” approach. In the minilocus approach,an exogenous Ig locus is mimicked through the inclusion of pieces(individual genes) from the Ig locus. Thus, one or more VH genes, one ormore DH genes, one or more JH genes, a mu constant region, and a secondconstant region (preferably a gamma constant region) are formed into aconstruct for insertion into an animal. This approach is described in,e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,545,807; 5,545,806; 5,625,825; 5,625,126;5,633,425; 5,661,016; 5,770,429; 5,789,650; and 5,814,318; 5,591,669;5,612,205; 5,721,367; 5,789,215; 5,643,763; 5,569,825; 5,877,397;6,300,129; 5,874,299; 6,255,458; and 7,041,871, the disclosures of whichare hereby incorporated by reference. See also European Patent No. 0 546073 B1, International Patent Publication Nos. WO 92/03918, WO 92/22645,WO 92/22647, WO 92/22670, WO 93/12227, WO 94/00569, WO 94/25585, WO96/14436, WO 97/13852, and WO 98/24884, the disclosures of each of whichare hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. See furtherTaylor et al. (1992) Nucleic Acids Res. 20: 6287; Chen et al. (1993)Int. Immunol. 5: 647; Tuaillon et al. (1993) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA90: 3720-4; Choi et al. (1993) Nature Genetics 4: 117; Lonberg et al.(1994) Nature 368: 856-859; Taylor et al. (1994) InternationalImmunology 6: 579-591; Tuaillon et al. (1995) J. Immunol. 154: 6453-65;Fishwild et al. (1996) Nature Biotechnology 14: 845; and Tuaillon et al.(2000) Eur. J. Immunol. 10: 2998-3005, the disclosures of each of whichare hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

In some embodiments, de-immunized antibodies or antigen-bindingfragments thereof are provided. De-immunized antibodies orantigen-binding fragments thereof are antibodies that have been modifiedso as to render the antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereofnon-immunogenic, or less immunogenic, to a given species (e.g., to ahuman). De-immunization can be achieved by modifying the antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof utilizing any of a variety oftechniques known to those skilled in the art (see, e.g., PCT PublicationNos. WO 04/108158 and WO 00/34317). For example, an antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof may be de-immunized by identifyingpotential T cell epitopes and/or B cell epitopes within the amino acidsequence of the antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof andremoving one or more of the potential T cell epitopes and/or B cellepitopes from the antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof, forexample, using recombinant techniques. The modified antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof may then optionally be produced andtested to identify antibodies or antigen-binding fragments thereof thathave retained one or more desired biological activities, such as, forexample, binding affinity, but have reduced immunogenicity. Methods foridentifying potential T cell epitopes and/or B cell epitopes may becarried out using techniques known in the art, such as, for example,computational methods (see e.g., PCT Publication No. WO 02/069232), invitro or in silico techniques, and biological assays or physical methods(such as, for example, determination of the binding of peptides to MHCmolecules, determination of the binding of peptide:MHC complexes to theT cell receptors from the species to receive the antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof, testing of the protein or peptideparts thereof using transgenic animals with the MHC molecules of thespecies to receive the antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof, ortesting with transgenic animals reconstituted with immune system cellsfrom the species to receive the antibody or antigen-binding fragmentthereof, etc.). In various embodiments, the de-immunized anti-C3dantibodies or anti-C3dg antibodies or anti-iC3b antibodies describedherein include de-immunized antigen-binding fragments, Fab, Fv, scFv,Fab′ and F(ab′)₂, monoclonal antibodies, murine antibodies, engineeredantibodies (such as, for example, chimeric, single chain, CDR-grafted,humanized, fully human antibodies, and artificially selectedantibodies), synthetic antibodies and semi-synthetic antibodies.

In some embodiments, the present disclosure also provides bispecificantibodies. Bispecific antibodies are monoclonal, preferably human orhumanized, antibodies that have binding specificities for at least twodifferent antigens. In the present case, one of the bindingspecificities is for C3d or C3dg or iC3b, the other one is for any otherantigen than the first one.

Methods for making bispecific antibodies are within the purview of thoseskilled in the art. Traditionally, the recombinant production ofbispecific antibodies is based on the co-expression of twoimmunoglobulin heavy-chain/light-chain pairs, where the two heavychain/light-chain pairs have different specificities (Milstein andCuello (1983) Nature 305:537-539). Antibody variable domains with thedesired binding specificities (antibody-antigen combining sites) can befused to immunoglobulin constant domain sequences. The fusion of theheavy chain variable region is preferably with an immunoglobulinheavy-chain constant domain, including at least part of the hinge, CH2,and CH3 regions. DNAs encoding the immunoglobulin heavy-chain fusionsand, if desired, the immunoglobulin light chain, are inserted intoseparate expression vectors, and are co-transfected into a suitable hostorganism. For further details of illustrative currently known methodsfor generating bispecific antibodies see, e.g., Suresh et al. (1986)Methods in Enzymology 121:210; PCT Publication No. WO 96/27011; Brennanet al. (1985) Science 229:81; Shalaby et al., J Exp Med (1992)175:217-225; Kostelny et al. (1992) J Immunol 148(5):1547-1553;Hollinger et al. (1993) Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 90:6444-6448; Gruber etal. (1994) J Immunol 152:5368; and Tutt et al. (1991) J Immunol 147:60.Bispecific antibodies also include cross-linked or heteroconjugateantibodies. Heteroconjugate antibodies may be made using any convenientcross-linking methods. Suitable cross-linking agents are well known inthe art, and are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,676,980, along with anumber of cross-linking techniques.

Various techniques for making and isolating bispecific antibodyfragments directly from recombinant cell culture have also beendescribed. For example, bispecific antibodies have been produced usingleucine zippers. See, e.g., Kostelny et al. (1992) J Immunol148(5):1547-1553. The leucine zipper peptides from the Fos and Junproteins may be linked to the Fab′ portions of two different antibodiesby gene fusion. The antibody homodimers may be reduced at the hingeregion to form monomers and then re-oxidized to form the antibodyheterodimers. This method can also be utilized for the production ofantibody homodimers. The “diabody” technology described by Hollinger etal. (1993) Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 90:6444-6448 has provided analternative mechanism for making bispecific antibody fragments. Thefragments comprise a heavy-chain variable domain (VH) connected to alight-chain variable domain (VL) by a linker which is too short to allowpairing between the two domains on the same chain. Accordingly, the VHand VL domains of one fragment are forced to pair with the complementaryVL and VH domains of another fragment, thereby forming twoantigen-binding sites. Another strategy for making bispecific antibodyfragments by the use of single-chain Fv (scFv) dimers has also beenreported. See, e.g., Gruber et al. (1994) J Immunol 152:5368.Alternatively, the antibodies can be “linear antibodies” as describedin, e.g., Zapata et al. (1995) Protein Eng. 8(10):1057-1062. Briefly,these antibodies comprise a pair of tandem Fd segments (VH-CH1-VH-CH1)which form a pair of antigen binding regions. Linear antibodies can bebispecific or monospecific.

Antibodies with more than two valencies (e.g., trispecific antibodies)are contemplated and described in, e.g., Tutt et al. (1991) J Immunol147:60.

The disclosure also embraces variant forms of multi-specific antibodiessuch as the dual variable domain immunoglobulin (DVD-Ig) moleculesdescribed in Wu et al. (2007) Nat Biotechnol 25(11):1290-1297. TheDVD-Ig molecules are designed such that two different light chainvariable domains (VL) from two different parent antibodies are linked intandem directly or via a short linker by recombinant DNA techniques,followed by the light chain constant domain. Similarly, the heavy chaincomprises two different heavy chain variable domains (VH) linked intandem, followed by the constant domain CH1 and Fc region. Methods formaking DVD-Ig molecules from two parent antibodies are further describedin, e.g., PCT Publication Nos. WO 08/024188 and WO 07/024715.

The disclosure also provides camelid or dromedary antibodies (e.g.,antibodies derived from Camelus bactrianus, Calelus dromaderius, or lamapaccos). Such antibodies, unlike the typical two-chain (fragment) orfour-chain (whole antibody) antibodies from most mammals, generally lacklight chains. See U.S. Pat. No. 5,759,808; Stijlemans et al. (2004) JBiol Chem 279:1256-1261; Dumoulin et al. (2003) Nature 424:783-788; andPleschberger et al. (2003) Bioconjugate Chem 14:440-448.

Engineered libraries of camelid antibodies and antibody fragments arecommercially available, for example, from Ablynx (Ghent, Belgium). Aswith other antibodies of non-human origin, an amino acid sequence of acamelid antibody can be altered recombinantly to obtain a sequence thatmore closely resembles a human sequence, i.e., the nanobody can be“humanized” to thereby further reduce the potential immunogenicity ofthe antibody.

In some embodiments, the present disclosure also provides antibodies, orantigen-binding fragments thereof, which are mutants of mouse monoclonalantibodies 3d8b, 3d9a, 3d29, 3d11, 3d31, 3d3, 3d15, 3d10, and 3d16, ortheir variant antibodies, or antigen-binding fragments thereof, asdescribed above and therein. Preferably, such a mutant antibody orantigen-binding fragments thereof maintain the C3d or C3dg or iC3bbinding ability of the parent mouse mAbs. Such mutations and the methodsto prepare these mutants are standard practices and well known in theart. In some embodiments, such a mutation introduces at least a singleamino acid substitution, deletion, insertion, or other modification. Insome embodiments, an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereofdescribed herein (e.g., mouse monoclonal antibodies 3d8b, 3d9a, 3d29,3d11, 3d31, 3d3, 3d15, 3d10, or 3d16) comprises no more than 20 (e.g.,no more than 19, 18, 17, 16, 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10, nine, eight, seven,six, five, four, three, two, or one) amino acid modifications (e.g.,amino acid substitutions, deletions, or additions). In some embodiments,an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof described herein doesnot contain an amino acid modification in its CDRs. In some embodiments,an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof described herein doesnot contain an amino acid modification in the CDR3 of the heavy chain.In some embodiments, an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereofdescribed herein does contain one or more (e.g. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8,9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, or 20) amino acidmodifications in its CDRs. In some embodiments, an antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof described herein does contain one ormore (e.g. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17,18, 19, or 20) amino acid modifications in the CDR3 of the heavy chain.

As used herein, the term “antibody fragment”, “antigen-bindingfragment”, “antigen binding fragment”, or similar terms refer tofragment of an antibody that retains the ability to bind to an antigen(e.g., a C3 protein fragment or a complement component C3dg, C3d, oriC3b) wherein the antigen binding fragment may optionally includeadditional compositions not part of the original antibody (e.g.different framework regions or mutations) as well as the fragment(s)from the original antibody. Examples include, but are not limited to, asingle chain antibody, a single chain Fv fragment (scFv), an Fdfragment, an Fab fragment, an Fab′ fragment, or an F(ab′)₂ fragment. AnscFv fragment is a single polypeptide chain that includes both the heavyand light chain variable regions of the antibody from which the scFv isderived. In addition, diabodies (Poljak (1994) Structure2(12):1121-1123; Hudson et al. (1999) J. Immunol. Methods23(1-2):177-189, the disclosures of each of which are incorporatedherein by reference in their entirety), minibodies, triabodies(Schoonooghe et al. (2009) BMC Biotechnol 9:70), and domain antibodies(also known as “heavy chain immunoglobulins” or camelids; Holt et al.(2003) Trends Biotechnol 21(11):484-490), (the disclosures of each ofwhich are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety) that bindto a complement component C3d or C3dg or iC3b protein can beincorporated into the compositions, and used in the methods, describedherein. In some embodiments, any of the antigen binding fragmentsdescribed herein may be included under “antigen binding fragmentthereof” or equivalent terms, when referring to fragments related to anantibody, whether such fragments were actually derived from the antibodyor are antigen binding fragments that bind the same epitope or anoverlapping epitope or an epitope contained in the antibody's epitope.For example, a 3d8a murine monoclonal antibody or antigen bindingfragment thereof, may include any of the antigen binding fragmentsdescribed herein even if, for example, such camelid antibody is notentirely a fragment of the 3d8a murine monoclonal antibody. An antigenbinding fragment thereof may include antigen-binding fragments that bindthe same, or overlapping, antigen as the original antibody and whereinthe antigen binding fragment includes a portion (e.g. one or more CDRs,one or more variable regions, etc.) that is a fragment of the originalantibody.

In some embodiments, the anti-C3d antibodies or anti-C3dg antibodies oranti-iC3b antibodies described herein comprise an altered or mutatedsequence that leads to altered stability or half-life compared to parentantibodies. This includes, for example, an increased stability orhalf-life for higher affinity or longer clearance time in vitro or invivo, or a decreased stability or half-life for lower affinity orquicker removal. Additionally, the altered anti-C3d antibodies oranti-C3dg antibodies or anti-iC3b antibodies described herein maycontain one or more (e.g. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14,15, 16, 17, 18, 19, or 20) amino acid substitutions, deletions, orinsertions (e.g. in one or more CDRs, one or more framework regions,and/or constant region) that result in altered post-translationalmodifications, including, for example, an altered glycosylation pattern(e.g., the addition of one or more sugar components, the loss of one ormore sugar components, or a change in composition of one or more sugarcomponents relative to the unaltered constant region).

In some embodiments, the anti-C3d antibodies or anti-C3dg antibodies oranti-iC3b antibodies described herein comprise an altered heavy chainconstant region that has reduced (e.g. or no) effector function relativeto its corresponding unaltered constant region. That is, in someembodiments, an antibody described herein comprises an altered constantregion that exhibits approximately 0 to 50% (e.g., less than 50, 49, 48,47, 46, 45, 44, 43, 42, 41, 40, 39, 38, 37, 36, 35, 34, 33, 32, 31, 30,29, 28, 27, 26, 25, 24, 23, 22, 21, 20, 19, 18, 17, 16, 15, 14, 13, 12,11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, or 1%) of the effector function of thecorresponding unaltered (native) form of the constant region. Effectorfunctions involving the constant region of the anti-C3d antibody oranti-C3dg antibody or anti-iC3b antibodies may be modulated by alteringproperties of the constant or Fc region. Altered effector functionsinclude, for example, a modulation in one or more of the followingactivities: antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC),complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC), apoptosis, binding to one ormore Fc-receptors, and pro-inflammatory responses. Modulation refers toan increase, decrease, or elimination of an effector function activityexhibited by a subject antibody containing an altered constant region ascompared to the activity of the unaltered form of the constant region.In particular embodiments, modulation includes situations in which anactivity is abolished or completely absent.

An altered constant region with altered FcR binding affinity and/or ADCCactivity and/or altered CDC activity is a polypeptide which has anenhanced or diminished FcR binding activity and/or ADCC activity and/orCDC activity compared to the unaltered form of the constant region. Analtered constant region which displays increased binding to an FcR bindsat least one FcR with greater affinity than the unaltered polypeptide.An altered constant region which displays decreased binding to an FcRbinds at least one FcR with lower affinity than the unaltered form ofthe constant region. Such variants which display decreased binding to anFcR may possess little or no appreciable binding to an FcR, e.g., 0 to50% (e.g., less than 50, 49, 48, 47, 46, 45, 44, 43, 42, 41, 40, 39, 38,37, 36, 35, 34, 33, 32, 31, 30, 29, 28, 27, 26, 25, 24, 23, 22, 21, 20,19, 18, 17, 16, 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, or 1%)of the binding to the FcR as compared to the level of binding of anative sequence immunoglobulin constant or Fc region to the FcR.Similarly, an altered constant region that displays modulated ADCCand/or CDC activity may exhibit either increased or reduced ADCC and/orCDC activity compared to the unaltered constant region. For example, insome embodiments, the anti-C3d antibody or anti-C3dg antibody oranti-iC3b antibody comprising an altered constant region can exhibitapproximately 0 to 50% (e.g., less than 50, 49, 48, 47, 46, 45, 44, 43,42, 41, 40, 39, 38, 37, 36, 35, 34, 33, 32, 31, 30, 29, 28, 27, 26, 25,24, 23, 22, 21, 20, 19, 18, 17, 16, 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6,5, 4, 3, 2, or 1%) of the ADCC and/or CDC activity of the unaltered formof the constant region. An anti-C3d antibody or anti-C3dg antibody oranti-iC3b antibody described herein comprising an altered constantregion displaying reduced ADCC and/or CDC may exhibit reduced or no ADCCand/or CDC activity as exemplified herein.

In some embodiments, the altered constant region has at least one aminoacid substitution, insertion, and/or deletion, compared to a nativesequence constant region or to the unaltered constant region, e.g., fromabout one to about one hundred amino acid substitutions, insertions,and/or deletions in a native sequence constant region or in the constantregion of the parent polypeptide. In some embodiments, the alteredconstant region herein will possess at least about 70% homology(similarity) or identity with the unaltered constant region and in someinstances at least about 75% and in other instances at least about 80%homology or identity therewith, and in other embodiments at least about85%, 90% or 95% homology or identity therewith. The altered constantregion may also contain one or more amino acid deletions or insertions.Additionally, the altered constant region may contain one or more aminoacid substitutions, deletions, or insertions that result in alteredpost-translational modifications, including, for example, an alteredglycosylation pattern (e.g., the addition of one or more sugarcomponents, the loss of one or more sugar components, or a change incomposition of one or more sugar components relative to the unalteredconstant region).

Antibodies with altered or no effector functions may be generated byengineering or producing antibodies with variant constant, Fc, or heavychain regions; recombinant DNA technology and/or cell culture andexpression conditions may be used to produce antibodies with alteredfunction and/or activity. For example, recombinant DNA technology may beused to engineer one or more amino acid substitutions, deletions, orinsertions in regions (such as, for example, Fc or constant regions)that affect antibody function including effector functions.Alternatively, changes in post-translational modifications, such as,e.g., glycosylation patterns, may be achieved by manipulating the cellculture and expression conditions by which the antibody is produced.Suitable methods for introducing one or more substitutions, additions,or deletions into an Fc region of an antibody are well known in the artand include, e.g., standard DNA mutagenesis techniques as described in,e.g., Sambrook et al. (1989) “Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual,2nd Edition,” Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor,N.Y.; Harlow and Lane (1988), supra; Borrebaek (1992), supra; Johne etal. (1993), supra; PCT publication no. WO 06/53301; and U.S. Pat. No.7,704,497.

In some embodiments, an anti-C3d antibody or anti-C3dg antibody oranti-iC3b antibody described herein exhibits reduced or no effectorfunction. In some embodiments, an anti-C3d antibody or anti-C3dgantibody or anti-iC3b antibody comprises a hybrid constant region, or aportion thereof, such as a G2/G4 hybrid constant region (see e.g.,Burton et al. (1992) Adv Immun 51:1-18; Canfield et al. (1991) J Exp Med173:1483-1491; and Mueller et al. (1997) Mol Immunol 34(6):441-452). Seeabove.

In addition to using a G2/G4 construct as described above, an anti-C3dantibody or anti-C3dg antibody or anti-iC3b antibody described hereinhaving reduced effector function may be produced by introducing othertypes of changes in the amino acid sequence of certain regions of theantibody. Such amino acid sequence changes include but are not limitedto the Ala-Ala mutation described in, e.g., PCT Publication nos. WO94/28027 and WO 98/47531; and Xu et al. (2000) Cell Immunol 200:16-26.Thus, in some embodiments, an anti-C3d antibody or anti-C3dg antibody oranti-iC3b antibody with one or more mutations within the constant regionincluding the Ala-Ala mutation has reduced or no effector function.According to these embodiments, the constant region of the antibody cancomprise a substitution to an alanine at position 234 or a mutation toan alanine at position 235. Additionally, the altered constant regionmay contain a double mutation: a mutation to an alanine at position 234and a second mutation to an alanine at position 235. In someembodiments, an anti-C3d antibody or anti-C3dg antibody or anti-iC3bantibody comprises an IgG4 framework, wherein the Ala-Ala mutation woulddescribe a mutation(s) from phenylalanine to alanine at position 234and/or a mutation from leucine to alanine at position 235. In someembodiments, the anti-C3d antibody or anti-C3dg antibody or anti-iC3bantibody comprises an IgG₁ framework, wherein the Ala-Ala mutation woulddescribe a mutation(s) from leucine to alanine at position 234 and/or amutation from leucine to alanine at position 235. An anti-C3d antibodyor anti-C3dg antibody or anti-iC3b antibody may alternatively oradditionally carry other mutations, including the point mutation K322Ain the CH2 domain (Hezareh et al. (2001) J Virol 75:12161-12168). Anantibody with said mutation(s) in the constant region may furthermore bea blocking or non-blocking antibody.

Additional substitutions that, when introduced into a heavy chainconstant region, result in decreased effector function are set forth in,e.g., Shields et al. (2001) J Biol Chem 276(9):6591-6604. Seeparticularly Table 1 (“Binding of human IgG₁ variants to human FcRn andFcγR”) of Shields et al., the disclosure of which is incorporated hereinby reference in its entirety. By screening a library of anti-IgEantibodies, each antibody of the library differing by one or moresubstitutions in the heavy chain constant region, for binding to a panelof Fc receptors (including FcRn, FcγRI, FcγRIIA, FcγRIIB, and FcγRIIIA),the authors identified a number of substitutions that modulate specificFc-Fc receptor interactions. For example, a variant IgG2a heavy chainconstant region in which the CH2 domain contains a D265A substitution(heavy chain amino acid numbering according to Kabat et al. (supra))results in a complete loss of interaction between the variant constantregion and IgG Fc receptors FcγRIIB, FcγRIII, FcγRI, and FcγRIV. Shieldset al. (2001) at page 6595, Table 1. See also Baudino et al. (2008) JImmunol 181:6664-6669 (supra).

Changes within the hinge region also affect effector functions. Forexample, deletion of the hinge region may reduce affinity for Fcreceptors and may reduce complement activation (Klein et al. (1981) ProcNatl Acad Sci USA 78: 524-528). The present disclosure therefore alsorelates to antibodies with alterations in the hinge region.

In some embodiments, an anti-C3d antibody or anti-C3dg antibody oranti-iC3b antibody may contain an altered constant region exhibitingenhanced or reduced complement dependent cytotoxicity (CDC). ModulatedCDC activity may be achieved by introducing one or more amino acidsubstitutions, insertions, or deletions in an Fc region of the antibody.See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 6,194,551. Alternatively or additionally,cysteine residue(s) may be introduced in the Fc region, thereby allowinginterchain disulfide bond formation in this region. The homodimericantibody thus generated may have improved or reduced internalizationcapability and/or increased or decreased complement-mediated cellkilling. See, e.g., Caron et al. (1992) J Exp Med 176:1191-1195 andShopes (1992) Immunol 148:2918-2922; PCT publication nos. WO 99/51642and WO 94/29351; Duncan and Winter (1988) Nature 322:738-40; and U.S.Pat. Nos. 5,648,260 and 5,624,821.

Another potential means of modulating effector function of antibodiesincludes changes in glycosylation, which is summarized in, e.g., Raju(2003) BioProcess International 1(4):44-53. According to Wright andMorrison, the microheterogeneity of human IgG oligosaccharides canaffect biological functions such as CDC and ADCC, binding to various Fcreceptors, and binding to C1q protein. (1997) TIBTECH 15:26-32.Glycosylation patterns of antibodies can differ depending on theproducing cell and the cell culture conditions (Raju, supra). Suchdifferences can lead to changes in both effector function andpharmacokinetics. See, e.g., Israel et al. (1996) Immunology89(4):573-578; Newkirk et al. (1996) Clin Exp Immunol 106(2):259-264.Differences in effector function may be related to the IgG's ability tobind to the Fcγ receptors (FcγRs) on the effector cells. Shields et al.have shown that IgG, with alterations in amino acid sequence that haveimproved binding to FcγR, can exhibit up to 100% enhanced ADCC usinghuman effector cells. (2001) J Biol Chem 276(9):6591-6604. While thesealterations include changes in amino acids not found at the bindinginterface, both the nature of the sugar component as well as itsstructural pattern may also contribute to the differences observed. Inaddition, the presence or absence of fucose in the oligosaccharidecomponent of an IgG can improve binding and ADCC. See, e.g., Shields etal. (2002) J Biol Chem 277(30):26733-26740. An IgG that lacked afucosylated carbohydrate linked to Asn297 exhibited normal receptorbinding to the FcγRI receptor. In contrast, binding to the FcγRIIIAreceptor was improved 50-fold and accompanied by enhanced ADCC,especially at lower antibody concentrations.

Shinkawa et al. demonstrated that an antibody to the human IL-5 receptorproduced in a rat hybridoma showed more than 50% higher ADCC whencompared to the antibody produced in Chinese hamster ovary cells (CHO)(Shinkawa et al. (2003) J Biol Chem 278(5):3466-73). Monosaccharidecomposition and oligosaccharide profiling showed that the rathybridoma-produced IgG had a lower content of fucose than theCHO-produced protein. The authors concluded that the lack offucosylation of an IgG₁ has a critical role in enhancement of ADCCactivity.

A different approach was taken by Umana et al. who changed theglycosylation pattern of chCE7, a chimeric IgG₁ anti-neuroblastomaantibody. (1999) Nat Biotechnol 17(2):176-180). Using tetracycline, theyregulated the activity of a glycosyltransferase enzyme (GnTIII) whichbisects oligosaccharides that have been implicated in ADCC activity. TheADCC activity of the parent antibody was barely above background level.Measurement of ADCC activity of the chCE7 produced at differenttetracycline levels showed an optimal range of GnTIII expression formaximal chCE7 in vitro ADCC activity. This activity correlated with thelevel of constant region-associated, bisected complex oligosaccharide.Newly optimized variants exhibited substantial ADCC activity. Similarly,Wright and Morrison produced antibodies in a CHO cell line deficient inglycosylation and showed that antibodies produced in this cell line wereincapable of complement-mediated cytolysis. (1994) J Exp Med180:1087-1096. Thus, as known alterations that affect effector functioninclude modifications in the glycosylation pattern or a change in thenumber of glycosylated residues, the present disclosure relates to ananti-C3d antibody or anti-C3dg antibody or anti-iC3b antibody whereinglycosylation is altered to either enhance or decrease effectorfunction(s) including ADCC and CDC. Altered glycosylation includes adecrease or increase in the number of glycosylated residues as well as achange in the pattern or location of glycosylated residues.

Still other approaches exist for altering the effector function ofantibodies. For example, antibody-producing cells can be hypermutagenic,thereby generating antibodies with randomly altered polypeptide residuesthroughout an entire antibody molecule. See, e.g., PCT publication no.WO 05/011735. Hypermutagenic host cells include cells deficient in DNAmismatch repair. Antibodies produced in this manner may be lessantigenic and/or have beneficial pharmacokinetic properties.Additionally, such antibodies may be selected for properties such asenhanced or decreased effector function(s). Additional details ofmolecular biology techniques useful for preparing an antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof described herein are set forth below.

In some embodiments, an antibody or an antigen-binding fragment thereofincludes light chain complementarity determining regions (CDR) 1, 2 and3, wherein light chain CDR 1 is SEQ ID NO:14 including three or lessamino acid mutations (e.g. 3, 2, 1, or 0) or SEQ ID NO:24 includingthree or less amino acid mutations (e.g. 3, 2, 1, or 0), light chain CDR2 is SEQ ID NO:15 including three or less amino acid mutations (e.g. 3,2, 1, or 0) or SEQ ID NO:25 including three or less amino acid mutations(e.g. 3, 2, 1, or 0) and light chain CDR 3 is SEQ ID NO:16 includingthree or less amino acid mutations (e.g. 3, 2, 1, or 0) or SEQ ID NO:26including three or less amino acid mutations (e.g. 3, 2, 1, or 0); orheavy chain complementarity determining regions (CDR) 1, 2 and 3,wherein heavy chain CDR 1 is SEQ ID NO:17 including three or less aminoacid mutations (e.g. 3, 2, 1, or 0) or SEQ ID NO:27 including three orless amino acid mutations (e.g. 3, 2, 1, or 0) or SEQ ID NO:35 includingthree or less amino acid mutations (e.g. 3, 2, 1, or 0), heavy chain CDR2 is SEQ ID NO:18 including three or less amino acid mutations (e.g. 3,2, 1, or 0) or SEQ ID NO:28 including three or less amino acid mutations(e.g. 3, 2, 1, or 0) or SEQ ID NO:36 including three or less amino acidmutations (e.g. 3, 2, 1, or 0) and heavy chain CDR 3 is SEQ ID NO:19including three or less amino acid mutations (e.g. 3, 2, 1, or 0) or SEQID NO:29 including three or less amino acid mutations (e.g. 3, 2, 1, or0) or SEQ ID NO:37 including three or less amino acid mutations (e.g. 3,2, 1, or 0). In some embodiments, the mutations are non-conservativeand/or conservative amino acid substitutions. In some embodiments, themutations are conservative amino acid substitutions. In someembodiments, the mutations are non-conservative amino acidsubstitutions.

In some embodiments, the antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereofincludes light chain complementarity determining regions (CDR) 1, 2 and3, wherein light chain CDR 1 is SEQ ID NO:14 or SEQ ID NO:24, lightchain CDR 2 is SEQ ID NO:15 or SEQ ID NO:25 and light chain CDR 3 is SEQID NO:16 or SEQ ID NO:26; or heavy chain complementarity determiningregions (CDR) 1, 2 and 3, wherein heavy chain CDR 1 is SEQ ID NO:17 orSEQ ID NO:27 or SEQ ID NO:35, heavy chain CDR 2 is SEQ ID NO:18 or SEQID NO:28 or SEQ ID NO:36 and heavy chain CDR 3 is SEQ ID NO:19 or SEQ IDNO:29 or SEQ ID NO:37. In some embodiments, the antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof includes light chain complementaritydetermining regions (CDR) 1, 2 and 3, wherein light chain CDR 1 is SEQID NO:14 or SEQ ID NO:24, light chain CDR 2 is SEQ ID NO:15 or SEQ IDNO:25 and light chain CDR 3 is SEQ ID NO:16 or SEQ ID NO:26; or heavychain complementarity determining regions (CDR) 1, 2 and 3, whereinheavy chain CDR 1 is SEQ ID NO:17 or SEQ ID NO:27, heavy chain CDR 2 isSEQ ID NO:18 or SEQ ID NO:28 and heavy chain CDR 3 is SEQ ID NO:19 orSEQ ID NO:29.

In some embodiments, the antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereofincludes light chain complementarity determining regions (CDR) 1, 2 and3, wherein light chain CDR 1 is SEQ ID NO:14 or SEQ ID NO:24, lightchain CDR 2 is SEQ ID NO:15 or SEQ ID NO:25 and light chain CDR 3 is SEQID NO:16 or SEQ ID NO:26; and heavy chain complementarity determiningregions (CDR) 1, 2 and 3, wherein heavy chain CDR 1 is SEQ ID NO:17 orSEQ ID NO:27 or SEQ ID NO:35, heavy chain CDR 2 is SEQ ID NO:18 or SEQID NO:28 or SEQ ID NO:36 and heavy chain CDR 3 is SEQ ID NO:19 or SEQ IDNO:29 or SEQ ID NO:37. In some embodiments, the antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof includes light chain complementaritydetermining regions (CDR) 1, 2 and 3, wherein light chain CDR 1 is SEQID NO:14 or SEQ ID NO:24, light chain CDR 2 is SEQ ID NO:15 or SEQ IDNO:25 and light chain CDR 3 is SEQ ID NO:16 or SEQ ID NO:26; and heavychain complementarity determining regions (CDR) 1, 2 and 3, whereinheavy chain CDR 1 is SEQ ID NO:17 or SEQ ID NO:27, heavy chain CDR 2 isSEQ ID NO:18 or SEQ ID NO:28 and heavy chain CDR 3 is SEQ ID NO:19 orSEQ ID NO:29.

In some embodiments of the antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof,light chain CDR 1 is SEQ ID NO:14 including three or less amino acidmutations (e.g. 3, 2, 1, or 0), light chain CDR 2 is SEQ ID NO:15including three or less amino acid mutations (e.g. 3, 2, 1, or 0), lightchain CDR 3 is SEQ ID NO:16 including three or less amino acid mutations(e.g. 3, 2, 1, or 0), heavy chain CDR 1 is SEQ ID NO:17 including threeor less amino acid mutations (e.g. 3, 2, 1, or 0), heavy chain CDR 2 isSEQ ID NO:18 including three or less amino acid mutations (e.g. 3, 2, 1,or 0), and heavy chain CDR 3 is SEQ ID NO:19 including three or lessamino acid mutations (e.g. 3, 2, 1, or 0). In some embodiments of theantibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof, light chain CDR 1 is SEQID NO:14, light chain CDR 2 is SEQ ID NO:15, light chain CDR 3 is SEQ IDNO:16, heavy chain CDR 1 is SEQ ID NO:17, heavy chain CDR 2 is SEQ IDNO:18, and heavy chain CDR 3 is SEQ ID NO:19.

In some embodiments of the antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof,light chain CDR 1 is SEQ ID NO:24 including three or less amino acidmutations (e.g. 3, 2, 1, or 0), light chain CDR 2 is SEQ ID NO:25including three or less amino acid mutations (e.g. 3, 2, 1, or 0), lightchain CDR 3 is SEQ ID NO:26 including three or less amino acid mutations(e.g. 3, 2, 1, or 0), heavy chain CDR 1 is SEQ ID NO:27 including threeor less amino acid mutations (e.g. 3, 2, 1, or 0), heavy chain CDR 2 isSEQ ID NO:28 including three or less amino acid mutations (e.g. 3, 2, 1,or 0), and heavy chain CDR 3 is SEQ ID NO:29 including three or lessamino acid mutations (e.g. 3, 2, 1, or 0). In some embodiments of theantibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof, light chain CDR 1 is SEQID NO:24, light chain CDR 2 is SEQ ID NO:25, light chain CDR 3 is SEQ IDNO:26, heavy chain CDR 1 is SEQ ID NO:27, heavy chain CDR 2 is SEQ IDNO:28, and heavy chain CDR 3 is SEQ ID NO:29.

In some embodiments, an antibody or an antigen-binding fragment thereofincludes a light chain variable region amino acid sequence at least 60%(e.g. 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75,76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93,94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, or 100%) identical to SEQ ID NO:12 or SEQ IDNO:22; or a heavy chain variable region amino acid sequence at least 60%(e.g. 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75,76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93,94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, or 100%) identical to SEQ ID NO:13 or SEQ IDNO:23 or SEQ ID NO:34. In some embodiments, the antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof includes a light chain variable regionamino acid sequence at least 60% (e.g. 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67,68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85,86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, or 100%)identical to SEQ ID NO:12 or SEQ ID NO:22; and a heavy chain variableregion amino acid sequence at least 60% (e.g. 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65,66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83,84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, or 100%)identical to SEQ ID NO:13 or SEQ ID NO:23 or SEQ ID NO:34. In someembodiments, the antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof includes alight chain variable region amino acid sequence at least 60% (e.g. 60,61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78,79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96,97, 98, 99, or 100%) identical to SEQ ID NO:12 or SEQ ID NO:22; or aheavy chain variable region amino acid sequence at least 60% (e.g. 60,61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78,79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96,97, 98, 99, or 100%) identical to SEQ ID NO:13 or SEQ ID NO:23. In someembodiments, the antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof includes alight chain variable region amino acid sequence at least 60% (e.g. 60,61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78,79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96,97, 98, 99, or 100%) identical to SEQ ID NO:12 or SEQ ID NO:22; and aheavy chain variable region amino acid sequence at least 60% (e.g. 60,61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78,79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96,97, 98, 99, or 100%) identical to SEQ ID NO:13 or SEQ ID NO:23.

In some embodiments, the antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereofincludes a light chain variable region amino acid sequence at least 60%(e.g. 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75,76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93,94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, or 100%) identical to SEQ ID NO:12. In someembodiments, the antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof includes aheavy chain variable region amino acid sequence at least 60% (e.g. 60,61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78,79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96,97, 98, 99, or 100%) identical to SEQ ID NO:13. In some embodiments, theantibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof includes a light chainvariable region amino acid sequence at least 60% (e.g. 60, 61, 62, 63,64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81,82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99,or 100%) identical to SEQ ID NO:22. In some embodiments, the antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof includes a heavy chain variable regionamino acid sequence at least 60% (e.g. 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67,68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85,86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, or 100%)identical to SEQ ID NO:23. In some embodiments, the antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof includes a heavy chain variable regionamino acid sequence at least 60% (e.g. 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67,68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85,86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, or 100%)identical to SEQ ID NO:34. In some embodiments, the antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof includes a light chain variable regionamino acid sequence at least 60% (e.g. 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67,68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85,86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, or 100%)identical to SEQ ID NO:12; and a heavy chain variable region amino acidsequence at least 60% (e.g. 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70,71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88,89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, or 100%) identical to SEQ IDNO:13. In some embodiments, the antibody or antigen-binding fragmentthereof includes a light chain variable region amino acid sequence atleast 60% (e.g. 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73,74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91,92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, or 100%) identical to SEQ ID NO:22; anda heavy chain variable region amino acid sequence at least 60% (e.g. 60,61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78,79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96,97, 98, 99, or 100%) identical to SEQ ID NO:23. In some embodiments, theantibody, or an antigen-binding fragment thereof, is selected from thegroup consisting of: a polyclonal antibody a monoclonal antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof, chimerized or chimeric antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof, humanized antibody or antigen-bindingfragment thereof, deimmunized human antibody or antigen-binding fragmentthereof, fully human antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof, abispecific antibody or antibody fragment, a monovalent antibody orantibody fragment, single chain antibody, single chain Fv fragment(scFv), Fv, Fd fragment, Fab fragment, Fab′ fragment, F(ab′)₂ fragment,diabody or antigen-binding fragment thereof, minibody or antigen-bindingfragment thereof, triabody or antigen-binding fragment thereof, domainantibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof, camelid antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof, dromedary antibody or antigen-bindingfragment thereof, CDR-grafted antibody or antigen-binding fragmentthereof, synthetic antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof,semi-synthetic antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof,phage-displayed antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof, andantibody, or antigen-binding fragment thereof, identified with arepetitive backbone array (e.g. repetitive antigen display).

In some embodiments, the antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereofincludes a light chain variable region amino acid sequence expressedfrom a nucleic acid sequence including a sequence at least 60% (e.g. 60,61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78,79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96,97, 98, 99, or 100%) identical to SEQ ID NO:20 or SEQ ID NO:30 over acontinuous nucleic acid sequence of at least 20 nucleotides (e.g. 20,21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38,39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 75, 100, 125, 150, 75,100, 125, 150 nucleotides or over all of SEQ ID NO: 20 or SEQ ID NO:30respectively). In some embodiments, the antibody or antigen-bindingfragment thereof includes a light chain variable region amino acidsequence expressed from a nucleic acid sequence including a sequence atleast 60% (e.g. 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73,74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91,92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, or 100%) identical to SEQ ID NO:20 overa continuous nucleic acid sequence of at least 20 nucleotides (e.g. 20,21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38,39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 75, 100, 125, 150nucleotides or over all of SEQ ID NO: 20). In some embodiments, theantibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof includes a light chainvariable region amino acid sequence expressed from a nucleic acidsequence including a sequence at least 60% (e.g. 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65,66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83,84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, or 100%)identical to SEQ ID NO:30 over a continuous nucleic acid sequence of atleast 20 nucleotides (e.g. 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30,31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48,49, 50, 75, 100, 125, 150 nucleotides or over all of SEQ ID NO: 30), Insome embodiments, the antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereofincludes a heavy chain variable region amino acid sequence expressedfrom a nucleic acid sequence including a sequence at least 60% (e.g. 60,61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78,79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96,97, 98, 99, or 100%) identical to SEQ ID NO:21 or SEQ ID NO:31 or SEQ IDNO:33, over a continuous nucleic acid sequence of at least 20nucleotides (e.g. 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32,33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50,75, 100, 125, 150 nucleotides or over all of SEQ ID NO: 21 or SEQ IDNO:31 or SEQ ID NO:33 respectively). In some embodiments, the antibodyor antigen-binding fragment thereof includes a heavy chain variableregion amino acid sequence expressed from a nucleic acid sequenceincluding a sequence at least 60% (e.g. 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67,68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85,86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, or 100%)identical to SEQ ID NO:21 over a continuous nucleic acid sequence of atleast 20 nucleotides (e.g. 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30,31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48,49, 50, 75, 100, 125, 150 nucleotides or over all of SEQ ID NO: 21). Insome embodiments, the antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereofincludes a heavy chain variable region amino acid sequence expressedfrom a nucleic acid sequence including a sequence at least 60% (e.g. 60,61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78,79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96,97, 98, 99, or 100%) identical to SEQ ID NO:31 over a continuous nucleicacid sequence of at least 20 nucleotides (e.g. 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25,26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43,44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 75, 100, 125, 150 nucleotides or over all ofSEQ ID NO: 31). In some embodiments, the antibody or antigen-bindingfragment thereof includes a heavy chain variable region amino acidsequence expressed from a nucleic acid sequence including a sequence atleast 60% (e.g. 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73,74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91,92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, or 100%) identical to SEQ ID NO:33 overa continuous nucleic acid sequence of at least 20 nucleotides (e.g. 20,21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38,39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 75, 100, 125, 150nucleotides or over all of SEQ ID NO: 33).

In some embodiments, the antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereofincludes a light chain variable region amino acid sequence expressedfrom a nucleic acid sequence that hybridizes to the nucleic acidconsisting of SEQ ID NO:20 or SEQ ID NO:30 under moderately stringenthybridization conditions. In some embodiments, the nucleic acid sequencehybridizes to the nucleic acid consisting of SEQ ID NO:20 or SEQ IDNO:30 under stringent hybridization conditions. In some embodiments, theantibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof includes a light chainvariable region amino acid sequence expressed from a nucleic acidsequence that hybridizes to the nucleic acid consisting of SEQ ID NO:20under moderately stringent hybridization conditions. In someembodiments, the nucleic acid sequence hybridizes to the nucleic acidconsisting of SEQ ID NO:20 under stringent hybridization conditions. Insome embodiments, the antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereofincludes a light chain variable region amino acid sequence expressedfrom a nucleic acid sequence that hybridizes to the nucleic acidconsisting of SEQ ID NO:30 under moderately stringent hybridizationconditions. In some embodiments, the nucleic acid sequence hybridizes tothe nucleic acid consisting of SEQ ID NO:30 under stringenthybridization conditions.

In some embodiments, the antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereofincludes a heavy chain variable region amino acid sequence expressedfrom a nucleic acid sequence that hybridizes to the nucleic acidconsisting of SEQ ID NO:21 or SEQ ID NO:31 or SEQ ID NO:33 undermoderately stringent hybridization conditions. In some embodiments, thenucleic acid sequence hybridizes to the nucleic acid consisting of SEQID NO:21 or SEQ ID NO:31 or SEQ ID NO:33 under stringent hybridizationconditions. In some embodiments, the antibody or antigen-bindingfragment thereof includes a heavy chain variable region amino acidsequence expressed from a nucleic acid sequence that hybridizes to thenucleic acid consisting of SEQ ID NO:21 under moderately stringenthybridization conditions. In some embodiments, the nucleic acid sequencehybridizes to the nucleic acid consisting of SEQ ID NO:21 understringent hybridization conditions. In some embodiments, the antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof includes a heavy chain variable regionamino acid sequence expressed from a nucleic acid sequence thathybridizes to the nucleic acid consisting of SEQ ID NO:31 undermoderately stringent hybridization conditions. In some embodiments, thenucleic acid sequence hybridizes to the nucleic acid consisting of SEQID NO:31 under stringent hybridization conditions. In some embodiments,the antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof includes a heavy chainvariable region amino acid sequence expressed from a nucleic acidsequence that hybridizes to the nucleic acid consisting of SEQ ID NO:33under moderately stringent hybridization conditions. In someembodiments, the nucleic acid sequence hybridizes to the nucleic acidconsisting of SEQ ID NO:33 under stringent hybridization conditions.

In some embodiments, the antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereofincludes one or more (e.g. one, two, three, four, five, or six) CDRsencoded by the nucleic acid sequences of SEQ ID NO:20, SEQ ID NO:21, SEQID NO:30, or SEQ ID NO:31, having six or less (six, five, four, three,two, one, or zero) nucleotide mutations in the nucleic acid sequencesencoding the one or more CDRs (e.g. one, two, three, four, five, orsix). In some embodiment, the antibody or antigen-binding fragmentthereof includes one or more (e.g. one, two, three, four, five, or six)CDRs encoded by the nucleic acid sequences of SEQ ID NO:20, SEQ IDNO:21, SEQ ID NO:30, or SEQ ID NO:31. In some embodiment, the antibodyor antigen-binding fragment thereof includes one or more (e.g. one, two,three, four, five, or six) CDRs encoded by the CDR nucleic acidsequences of SEQ ID NO:20, SEQ ID NO:21, SEQ ID NO:30, or SEQ ID NO:31.

In some embodiments, the antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereofincludes one or more (e.g. one, two, or three) light chain variableregion CDRs encoded by the nucleic acid sequences of SEQ ID NO:20 or SEQID NO:30, having six or less (six, five, four, three, two, one, or zero)nucleotide mutations in the nucleic acid sequences encoding the one ormore CDRs (e.g. one, two, or three). In some embodiment, the antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof includes one or more (e.g. one, two, orthree) light chain variable region CDRs encoded by the nucleic acidsequences of SEQ ID NO:20 or SEQ ID NO:30. In some embodiment, theantibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof includes one or more (e.g.one, two, or three) light chain variable region CDRs encoded by the CDRnucleic acid sequences of SEQ ID NO:20 or SEQ ID NO:30.

In some embodiments, the antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereofincludes one or more (e.g. one, two, or three) heavy chain variableregion CDRs encoded by the nucleic acid sequences of SEQ ID NO:21 or SEQID NO:31, having six or less (six, five, four, three, two, one, or zero)nucleotide mutations in the nucleic acid sequences encoding the one ormore CDRs (e.g. one, two, or three). In some embodiment, the antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof includes one or more (e.g. one, two, orthree) heavy chain variable region CDRs encoded by the nucleic acidsequences of SEQ ID NO:21 or SEQ ID NO:31. In some embodiment, theantibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof includes one or more (e.g.one, two, or three) heavy chain variable region CDRs encoded by the CDRnucleic acid sequences of SEQ ID NO:21 or SEQ ID NO:31. In someembodiments, the antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof includesone or more (e.g. one, two, or three) heavy chain variable region CDRsencoded by the nucleic acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:33, having six or less(six, five, four, three, two, one, or zero) nucleotide mutations in thenucleic acid sequences encoding the one or more CDRs (e.g. one, two, orthree). In some embodiments, the antibody or antigen-binding fragmentthereof includes one or more (e.g. one, two, or three) heavy chainvariable region CDRs encoded by the nucleic acid sequence of SEQ IDNO:33. In some embodiments, the antibody or antigen-binding fragmentthereof includes one or more (e.g. one, two, or three) heavy chainvariable region CDRs encoded by the CDR nucleic acid sequence of SEQ IDNO:33. As used herein, a CDR nucleic acid sequence refers to a nucleicacid sequence included in SEQ ID NO:20, SEQ ID NO:21, SEQ ID NO:30, SEQID NO:31, SEQ ID NO:33, which encodes a CDR having an amino acidsequence selected from SEQ ID NO:14 to SEQ ID NO:19, SEQ ID NO:24 to SEQID NO:29, and SEQ ID NO:35 to SEQ ID NO:37. CDR nucleic acid sequences(nucleic acid sequences encoding CDRs) are underlined in each of SEQ IDNO:20, 21, 30, 31, and 33 in consecutive order (e.g. CDR 1, then CDR 2,then CDR 3).

In some embodiments, an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereofdescribed herein and including all or a portion of an amino acidsequence selected from SEQ ID NO: 12-19, 22-29, and 34-37 or expressedfrom a nucleic acid sequence including all or a portion of a sequenceselected from SEQ ID NO: 20, 21, 30, 31, and 33 (including any of theantibodies or antigen-binding fragments thereof described herein andabove) is an anti-C3d antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof,anti-C3dg antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof, anti-C3d/C3dgantibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof, anti-iC3b antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof, antibody or antigen-binding fragmentdescribed herein, antibody described herein or antigen-binding fragmentthereof, fragment described herein, antibody or antigen-binding fragmentthereof provided by the disclosure, antibody or antigen-binding fragmentthereof that the disclosures comprises, anti-C3d antibody or anti-C3dgantibody or anti-iC3b antibody, antigen-binding fragment thereofprovided by the present disclosure, antibody or fragment thereof,antibody which binds a binding partner selected from the groupconsisting of C3dg and C3d and iC3b or fragments of such antibody whichretain the ability to bind to its respective binding partner that is asuitable targeting moiety, antibody of the present invention or fragmentthereof which retain the ability to bind to their respective bindingpartner and are suitable targeting moieties, isolated antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof, as these terms are used herein, orequivalent terms used herein to describe an antibody or antigen-bindingfragment of the invention (e.g. as isolated compositions, included in aconjugate, included in an antibody conjugate).

SEQ ID NO: 12-21 are amino acid or nucleic acid sequences, asappropriate, of the mouse antibody 3d8b. SEQ ID NO: 22-31 are amino acidor nucleic acid sequences, as appropriate, of the mouse antibody 3d29.SEQ ID NO: 33-37 are amino acid or nucleic acid sequences, asappropriate, of the mouse antibody 3d16. SEQ ID NO: 32 is the amino acidsequence of a 3d scFv Crry fusion protein (e.g. a construct).

In some embodiments, a pharmaceutical composition includes an antibodyor antigen-binding fragment thereof described herein and apharmaceutically-acceptable excipient.

In some embodiments, the isolated anti-C3d antibody or antigen-bindingfragment thereof, the isolated anti-C3dg antibody or antigen-bindingfragment thereof, the isolated anti-iC3b antibody or antigen-bindingfragment thereof, described in the present disclosure includes, but isnot limited to, a polyclonal antibody a monoclonal antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof, chimerized or chimeric antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof, humanized antibody or antigen-bindingfragment thereof, deimmunized human antibody or antigen-binding fragmentthereof, fully human antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof, abispecific antibody or antibody fragment, a monovalent antibody orantibody fragment, single chain antibody, single chain Fv fragment(scFv), Fv, Fd fragment, Fab fragment, Fab′ fragment, F(ab′)₂ fragment,diabody or antigen-binding fragment thereof, minibody or antigen-bindingfragment thereof, triabody or antigen-binding fragment thereof, domainantibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof, camelid antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof, dromedary antibody or antigen-bindingfragment thereof, CDR-grafted antibody or antigen-binding fragmentthereof, synthetic antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof,semi-synthetic antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof,phage-displayed antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof, orantibody, or antigen-binding fragment thereof, identified with arepetitive backbone array (e.g. repetitive antigen display. In someembodiments, the antibody described herein is a monoclonal antibody. Insome embodiments, the antibody described herein is the mAb 3d8b,produced by hybridoma cell line 3d-8b/2 (ATCC Deposit PTA-10999). Insome embodiments, the antibody described herein is mAb 3d9a, produced byhybridoma cell line 3d-9a/25 (ATCC Deposit PTA-10998). In someembodiments, the antibody described herein is mAb 3d29, produced byhybridoma cell line 3d-29/5/2 (ATCC Deposit PTA-11000). In someembodiments, the antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof describedin the present disclosure includes, but is not limited to, anyengineered or recombinant antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereoforiginated from mAb 3d8b, 3d9a, 3d29, or other mAb described in thisdisclosure, which can be easily screened or produced by standard methodswell known in the art, many of which are discussed in this disclosure.Generally, all these antibodies or fragments originating from mAbs inthis disclosure may be designed, screened, produced and/or tested tomodify, without being limiting, their binding affinity, avidity, orcross-species activity to the C3d/C3dg protein and/or iC3b protein,selectivity over C3 or other C3 fragments, or their expression patternand solubility, stability, half-life, cross-reactivity to otherproteins/targets, or other inherent activities or characteristics ofthese antibodies or fragments, such as the effector activity.

Described herein is a hybridoma cell selected from the group consistingof: 3d-8b/2 (ATCC Deposit PTA-10999), 3d-9a/25 (ATCC Deposit number:PTA-10998), 3d-29/5/2 (ATCC Deposit number: PTA-11000), 3d-11/14 (ATCCDeposit number: PTA-11011), 3d-31/A6/9 (ATCC Deposit number: PTA-11027),3d-3/28/4 (ATCC Deposit number: PTA-11025), 3d-15A9 (ATCC Depositnumber: PTA-11012), 3d-10/14/1 (ATCC Deposit number: PTA-11010), and3d-16/3/3 (ATCC Deposit number: PTA-11026).

In some embodiments, the present disclosure provides an isolatedantibody produced by a hybridoma cell described above. In yet anotheraspect, the disclosure features a humanized, primatized, or chimerizedantibody comprising the set of six (6) CDRs of any of the antibodiesproduced by the above-listed hybridomas.

In some embodiments, the present disclosure provides an isolated nucleicacid molecule encoding the antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereofdescribed in this disclosure. In some embodiments, the isolated nucleicacid molecule includes a nucleic acid sequence at least 60% (e.g. 60,61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78,79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96,97, 98, 99, or 100%) identical to SEQ ID NO:20 or SEQ ID NO:30 over acontinuous nucleic acid sequence of at least 20 nucleotides (e.g. 20,21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38,39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 75, 100, 125, 150nucleotides or over all of SEQ ID NO: 20 or SEQ ID NO:30 respectively).In some embodiments, the isolated nucleic acid molecule includes anucleic acid sequence at least 60% (e.g. 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67,68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85,86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, or 100%)identical to SEQ ID NO:21 or SEQ ID NO:31 or SEQ ID NO:33, over acontinuous nucleic acid sequence of at least 20 nucleotides (e.g. 20,21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38,39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 75, 100, 125, 150nucleotides or over all of SEQ ID NO: 21 or SEQ ID NO:31 or SEQ ID NO:33respectively). In some embodiments, the isolated nucleic acid moleculeincludes a nucleic acid sequence that hybridizes to the nucleic acidconsisting of SEQ ID NO:20 or SEQ ID NO:30 under moderately stringenthybridization conditions. In some embodiments, the nucleic acid sequencehybridizes to the nucleic acid consisting of SEQ ID NO:20 or SEQ IDNO:30 under stringent hybridization conditions. In some embodiments, theisolated nucleic acid molecule includes a nucleic acid sequence thathybridizes to the nucleic acid consisting of SEQ ID NO:21 or SEQ IDNO:31 or SEQ ID NO:33 under moderately stringent hybridizationconditions. In some embodiments, the nucleic acid sequence hybridizes tothe nucleic acid consisting of SEQ ID NO:21 or SEQ ID NO:31 or SEQ IDNO:33 under stringent hybridization conditions. In some embodiments, isprovided a nucleic acid encoding a CDR having an amino acid sequenceidentical to SEQ ID NO:14, SEQ ID NO:15, SEQ ID NO:16, SEQ ID NO:17, SEQID NO:18, SEQ ID NO:19, SEQ ID NO:24, SEQ ID NO:25, SEQ ID NO:26, SEQ IDNO:27, SEQ ID NO:28, or SEQ ID NO:29. In some embodiments, is provided anucleic acid encoding a CDR having an amino acid sequence having threeor less (three, two, one, or zero) amino acid mutations when compared toSEQ ID NO:14, SEQ ID NO:15, SEQ ID NO:16, SEQ ID NO:17, SEQ ID NO:18,SEQ ID NO:19, SEQ ID NO:24, SEQ ID NO:25, SEQ ID NO:26, SEQ ID NO:27,SEQ ID NO:28, or SEQ ID NO:29. In some embodiments, the amino acidmutations are conservative and non-conservative. In some embodiments,the amino acid mutations are conservative. In some embodiments, theamino acid mutations are non-conservative.

In some embodiments, is provided a nucleic acid encoding a light chainvariable region CDR having an amino acid sequence identical to SEQ IDNO:14, SEQ ID NO:15, SEQ ID NO:16, SEQ ID NO:24, SEQ ID NO:25, or SEQ IDNO:26. In some embodiments, is provided a nucleic acid encoding a lightchain variable region CDR having an amino acid sequence having three orless (three, two, one, or zero) amino acid mutations when compared toSEQ ID NO:14, SEQ ID NO:15, SEQ ID NO:16, SEQ ID NO:24, SEQ ID NO:25, orSEQ ID NO:26. In some embodiments, the amino acid mutations areconservative and non-conservative. In some embodiments, the amino acidmutations are conservative. In some embodiments, the amino acidmutations are non-conservative.

In some embodiments, is provided a nucleic acid encoding a heavy chainvariable region CDR having an amino acid sequence identical to SEQ IDNO:17, SEQ ID NO:18, SEQ ID NO:19, SEQ ID NO:27, SEQ ID NO:28, or SEQ IDNO:29. In some embodiments, is provided a nucleic acid encoding a heavychain variable region CDR having an amino acid sequence having three orless (three, two, one, or zero) amino acid mutations when compared toSEQ ID NO:17, SEQ ID NO:18, SEQ ID NO:19, SEQ ID NO:27, SEQ ID NO:28, orSEQ ID NO:29. In some embodiments, the amino acid mutations areconservative and non-conservative. In some embodiments, the amino acidmutations are conservative. In some embodiments, the amino acidmutations are non-conservative.

In another embodiment, the present disclosure provides a vectorcontaining the nucleic acid sequence of an antibody, or antigen-bindingfragment thereof, or CDR, all as described herein. Such vector includes,but is not limited to, a plasmid vector, a cosmid vector, a viralvector, a shuttle vector, or any vector well known in the art forexpression in prokaryotic or eukaryotic cells.

In another embodiment, the present disclosure provides a cell containinga vector containing the nucleic acid sequence of an isolated nucleicacid encoding an antibody, or antigen-binding fragment thereof, or CDRdescribed herein. Such cell includes, for example, a prokaryotic cell ora eukaryotic cell.

In another embodiment, the disclosure features: (a) a nucleic acidencoding any one of the antibodies, antigen-binding fragments, or CDRsor constructs (e.g. conjugates, anti-C3d antibody-conjugates) describedherein; (b) a vector (e.g., an expression vector) including the nucleicacid; and (c) a cell (e.g., a bacterial, plant, fungal, insect, ormammalian cell) including the vector or expression vector.

In yet another embodiment, the disclosure features a method forproducing an antibody, an antigen-binding fragment of the antibody, or aCDR, or a construct (e.g. conjugates, anti-C3d antibody-conjugates)described herein. The method includes culturing the aforementioned cellunder conditions suitable to allow for expression of the antibody,fragment, or construct (e.g. conjugates, anti-C3d antibody-conjugates)by the cell. The method can optionally include purifying the antibody,fragment, or construct from the cell or from the media in which the cellis cultured.

In some embodiments, the present disclosure provides a pharmaceuticalcomposition including any of the isolated antibodies or antigen-bindingfragments thereof described in this disclosure. In some embodiments, thepresent disclosure provides a pharmaceutical composition including anucleic acid encoding an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereofdescribed in this disclosure. In some embodiments, the presentdisclosure provides a pharmaceutical composition including a vectorcontaining the nucleic acid sequence of an isolated nucleic acidencoding the antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof described inthis disclosure. In some embodiments, the present disclosure provides apharmaceutical composition including a cell containing such vectordescribed herein.

In some embodiments, the present disclosure provides a pharmaceuticalcomposition including any of the constructs described in thisdisclosure. In some embodiments, the present disclosure provides apharmaceutical composition including a conjugate described in thisdisclosure. In some embodiments, the present disclosure provides apharmaceutical composition including any of the antibody conjugatesdescribed in this disclosure. In some embodiments, the presentdisclosure provides a pharmaceutical composition including any of theanti-C3d antibody conjugates described in this disclosure. In someembodiments, the pharmaceutical compositions include a pharmaceuticallyacceptable excipient.

In some embodiments, the present disclosure provides a pharmaceuticalcomposition including any of the isolated antibodies or antigen-bindingfragments thereof described in this disclosure and a therapeuticallyacceptable excipient. Suitable excipients are well known in the art andrecited herein.

The present inventors have found that targeting of diagnostic agents ordetectable moieties to particular epitopes present on the C3d and/orC3dg and/or iC3b fragment of complement is surprisingly effective interms of localizing diagnostic agents such that they can exert optimaleffects at tissue or cells which are the site of complement activation.Thus, the present inventors have isolated antibodies which bind to theC3d and/or C3dg and/or iC3b fragment of complement and used them for thetargeting of diagnostic agents and detectable moieties.

In some embodiments, the disclosure features an antibody, orantigen-binding fragment thereof, that binds to an epitope in the humanC3d protein. In some embodiments, the disclosure features an antibody,or antigen-binding fragment thereof, that binds to an epitope in thehuman C3dg protein. In some embodiments, the disclosure features anantibody, or antigen-binding fragment thereof, that binds to an epitopein the human iC3b protein. For example, the anti-C3d antibody oranti-C3dg antibody or anti-iC3b antibody can bind to an epitope within,or overlapping with, an antigenic peptide fragment of a human complementcomponent C3d protein, or to an epitope in the human complementcomponent C3dg protein, or to an epitope in the human complementcomponent iC3b protein. In some embodiments, these anti-C3d antibodiesor anti-C3dg antibodies or anti-iC3b antibody are monoclonal antibodiesor antibody fragments maintaining the antigen-binding activity. In someembodiments, these monoclonal antibodies include those produced byhybridoma cells 3d-8b/2 (ATCC Deposit number: PTA-10999), 3d-9a/25 (ATCCDeposit number: PTA-10998), 3d-29/5/2 (ATCC Deposit number: PTA-11000),3d-11/14 (ATCC Deposit number: PTA-11011), 3d-31/A6/9 (ATCC Depositnumber: PTA-11027), 3d3/28/4 (ATCC Deposit number: PTA-11025), 3d-15A9(ATCC Deposit number: PTA-11012), 3d-10/14/1 (ATCC Deposit number:PTA-11010), and 3d-16/3/3 (ATCC Deposit number: PTA-11026). In someembodiments, the present disclosure provides antibodies, orantigen-binding fragments thereof, that bind to an epitope within, oroverlapping with, an epitope recognized by any one of antibodies 3d8b,3d9a, 3d29, 3d11, 3d31, 3d3, 3d15, 3d10, and 3d16. In some embodiments,these antibodies, or antigen-binding fragments thereof, which bind to anepitope within, or overlapping with, an epitope recognized by any one ofantibodies 3d8b, 3d9a, 3d29, 3d11, 3d31, 3d3, 3d15, 3d10, and 3d16, donot compete with at least one of antibodies 3d8b, 3d9a, 3d29, 3d11,3d31, 3d3, 3d15, 3d10, and 3d16 for binding to C3d or C3dg or iC3b. Insome embodiments, these antibodies, or antigen-binding fragmentsthereof, which bind to an epitope within, or overlapping with, anepitope recognized by any one of antibodies 3d8b, 3d9a, 3d29, 3d11,3d31, 3d3, 3d15, 3d10, and 3d16, compete with at least one (e.g. 1, 2,3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9) of antibodies including 3d8b, 3d9a, 3d29, 3d11,3d31, 3d3, 3d15, 3d10, and 3d16 for binding to C3d or C3dg or iC3b. Insome embodiments, these antibodies, or antigen-binding fragmentsthereof, which bind to an epitope within, or overlapping with, anepitope recognized by any one of antibodies 3d8b, 3d9a, 3d29, 3d11,3d31, 3d3, 3d15, 3d10, and 3d16, inhibit at least one of antibodies3d8b, 3d9a, 3d29, 3d11, 3d31, 3d3, 3d15, 3d10, and 3d16 from binding toC3d or C3dg or iC3b. In some embodiments, an antibody, or antigenbinding fragment thereof, is an scFv. In some embodiments, the scFv isderived from any one of the antibodies 3d8b, 3d9a, 3d29, 3d11, 3d31,3d3, 3d15, 3d10, and 3d16 (a 3d scFv). In some embodiments the scFv is a3d8b scFv. In some embodiments, the scFv is a 3d29 scFv.

In some embodiments, the anti-C3d antibody or anti-C3dg antibody oranti-iC3b antibody, or antigen-binding fragment thereof, provided in thepresent disclosure can crossblock binding of another antibody or bindingpartner that binds to an epitope within, or overlapping with, a humancomplement component C3d or C3dg protein or iC3b protein. In someembodiments, the anti-C3d antibody or anti-C3dg antibody or anti-iC3bantibody, or antigen-binding fragment thereof, can crossblock binding ofan antibody that binds to an epitope within, or overlapping with, apeptide fragment of a human complement component C3d protein or C3dgprotein or iC3b protein. As used herein, the term “crossblockingantibody” refers to an antibody, or antibody fragment thereofmaintaining its antigen-binding activity, that lowers the amount ofbinding of anti-C3d antibody or anti-C3dg antibody or anti-iC3bantibody, or antibody fragment thereof maintaining its antigen-bindingactivity, to an epitope on a complement component C3d protein or C3dgprotein or iC3b protein relative to the amount of binding of theanti-C3d antibody or anti-C3dg antibody or anti-iC3b antibody, orantibody fragment thereof maintaining its antigen-binding activity, tothe epitope in the absence of the crossblocking antibody, or antibodyfragment thereof maintaining its antigen-binding activity. Suitablemethods for determining whether a first antibody, or antibody fragmentthereof, crossblocks binding of a second antibody, or antibody fragmentthereof, to an epitope are known in the art. For example, crossblockingantibodies can be identified by comparing the binding of the3d-9a/25anti-C3d monoclonal antibody (produced by the hybridoma cellline ATCC designation PTA-11025) to C3d in the presence and absence of atest antibody. In such a case, decreased binding of the 3d-9a/25antibody in the presence of the test antibody as compared to binding ofthe 3d-9a/25 antibody in the absence of the test antibody indicates thatthe test antibody is a crossblocking antibody.

In another embodiment, provided herein are articles of manufacture orkits containing diagnostic compositions including an effective amount ofany of the targeted diagnostic agent moieties (e.g. constructs,conjugates, anti-C3d antibody-conjugates) and instructions for their usein the methods described herein. Thus, in some embodiments, the articleof manufacture comprises instructions for the use of diagnosticcompositions including an effective amount of a anti-C3dantibody-conjugate comprising a monoclonal antibody which binds to abinding partner selected from C3d and C3dg and iC3b, joined to adetectable moiety. The diagnostic compositions may further include oneor more pharmaceutically acceptable excipients formulated foradministration to an individual as described herein. The kit may furtherinclude means for administration, such as a syringe, inhaler or otherdevice useful for systemic administration or local administration.

In yet another embodiment, the disclosure features an article ofmanufacture including: a container including a label; and a compositionincluding any of the antibodies or antigen-binding fragments orconstructs (e.g. conjugates, anti-C3d antibody-conjugates) describedherein, wherein the label indicates that the composition is to beadministered to a human having, suspected of having, or at risk fordeveloping, a complement-associated disorder, disease, or condition. Thearticle of manufacture can include one or more additional agents.

In another aspect, the disclosure features a diagnostic or monitoringkit including: (i) any of the antibodies or antigen-binding fragmentsthereof described herein and (ii) means for delivering the antibody orantigen-binding fragment to a human; or (ii) any of the constructs (e.g.conjugates, anti-C3d antibody-conjugates) described herein and (iv)means for delivering the construct to a human. The means can be suitablefor subcutaneous delivery of the construct (e.g. conjugates, anti-C3dantibody-conjugates) to the human. The means can be suitable forintraocular delivery of the construct (e.g. conjugates, anti-C3dantibody-conjugates), or the antibody or antigen-binding fragmentthereof, to the human. The means can be suitable for intraarticulardelivery of the construct (e.g. conjugates, anti-C3dantibody-conjugates), or the antibody or antigen-binding fragmentthereof, to the human.

Detectable Moieties

MRI can be used to non-invasively acquire tissue images with highresolution. Paramagnetic agents or USPIO nanoparticles or aggregatesthereof enhance signal attenuation on T₂-weighted magnetic resonanceimages, and conjugation of such nanoparticles to binding ligands permitsthe detection of specific molecules at the cellular level. For example,MRI with nanoparticle detection agents can image cell migration (J. W.Bulte et al., 2001, Nat. Biotechnol. 19:1141-1147), apoptosis (M. Zhaoet al., 2001, Nat. Med. 7:1241-1244), and can detect small foci ofcancer. See e.g., Y. W. Jun et al., 2005, J. Am. Chern. Soc.127:5732-5733; Y. M. Huh et al., 2005, J. Am. Chern. Soc.127:12387-12391. Contrast-enhanced MRI is well-suited for the dynamicnon-invasive imaging of macromolecules or of molecular events, but itrequires ligands that specifically bind to the molecule of interest. J.W. Bulte et al., 2004, NMR Biomed. 17:484-499. Fluorescent dyes andfluorophores (e.g. fluorescein, fluorescein isothiocyanate, andfluorescein derivatives) can be used to non-invasively acquire tissueimages with high resolution, with for example spectrophotometry,two-photon fluorescence, two-photon laser microscropy, or fluorescencemicroscopy (e.g. of tissue biopsies). MRI can be used to non-invasivelyacquire tissue images with high resolution, with for exampleparamagnetic molecules, paramagnetic nanoparticles, ultrasmallsuperparamagnetic iron oxide (“USPIO”) nanoparticles, USPIO nanoparticleaggregates, superparamagnetic iron oxide (“SPIO”) nanoparticles, SPIOnanoparticle aggregates, monochrystalline iron oxide nanoparticles,monochrystalline iron oxide, other nanoparticle contrast agents. MRI canbe used to non-invasively acquire tissue images with high resolution,with for example Gadolinium, including liposomes or other deliveryvehicles containing Gadolinium chelate (“Gd-chelate”) molecules.Positron emission tomography (PET), PET/computed tomography (CT), singlephoton emission computed tomography (SPECT), and SPECT/CT can be used tonon-invasively acquire tissue images with high resolution, with forexample radionuclides (e.g. carbon-11, nitrogen-13, oxygen-15,fluorine-18, rubidium-82), fluorodeoxyglucose (e.g. fluorine-18labeled), any gamma ray emitting radionuclides, positron-emittingradionuclide, radiolabeled glucose, radiolabeled water, radiolabeledammonia. Ultrasound (ultrasonography) and contrast enhanced ultrasound(contrast enhanced ultrasonography) can be used to non-invasivelyacquire tissue images with high resolution, with for example biocolloidsor microbubbles (e.g. including microbubble shells including albumin,galactose, lipid, and/or polymers; microbubble gas core including air,heavy gas(es), perfluorcarbon, nitrogen, octafluoropropane, perflexanelipid microsphere, perflutren, etc.). X-ray imaging (radiography) or CTcan be used to non-invasively acquire tissue images with highresolution, with for example iodinated contrast agents (e.g. iohexol,iodixanol, ioversol, iopamidol, ioxilan, iopromide, diatrizoate,metrizoate, ioxaglate), barium sulfate, thorium dioxide, gold, goldnanoparticles, or gold nanoparticle aggregates. These detection methodsand instruments and detectable moieties capable of being measured ordetected by the corresponding method are non-limiting examples.

As used herein, the term “ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxidenanoparticle” or “USPIO nanoparticle” refers to superparamagnetic ironoxide particles ranging from 1 to 50 nm in diameter, more typicallybetween 5 and 40 nm in diameter (excluding any coating applied aftersynthesis). USPIO nanoparticles are commonly made of maghemite (Fe₂O₃)or magnetite (Fe₃O₄) having crystal-containing regions of unpairedspins. Those magnetic domains are disordered in the absence of amagnetic field, but when a field is applied (i.e., while taking an MRI),the magnetic domains align to create a magnetic moment much greater thanthe sum of the individual unpaired electrons without resulting inresidual magnetization of the particles. When injected into the bloodstream, USPIO nanoparticles are taken up by macrophages and accumulatein inflamed tissues. Their iron moiety negatively enhances signalattenuation on T₂-weighted images, and their relative concentrations canbe assessed by decreased T₂-signal intensity or, more precisely, bydecreased spin-spin T₂-relaxation time. The decreased T₂-relaxation time(the transverse relaxation time) can thus be used to detectinflammation. The shortened T₂ relaxation time results in a darkening ofthe magnetic resonance image where the particles are located, therebygenerating “negative contrast.” This approach has been successfullyutilized to detect renal inflammation in several models. In some cases,USPIO nanoparticles may be aggregated after synthesis to produceaggregates thereof (referred to herein as “ultrasmall superparamagneticiron oxide (“USPIO”) nanoparticle aggregates” or “USPIO nanoparticleaggregates”) of 25 nm, 50 nm, 75 nm, 100 nm, or 150 nm, in diameter, oreven larger.

The USPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof may be coated with a widevariety of materials, including natural or synthetic polymers,surfactants, phospholipids, or inorganic materials, any of which may bemodified or derivatized to permit attachment of targeting groups, eitherdirectly or via different types of linkers, including peptides,polypeptides, proteins, or other chemical groups, or uncoated. Possiblecoatings include synthetic polymers, such as those based onpoly(ethylene-co-vinyl acetate), polyvinylpyrrolidone (“PYP”),poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (“PLGA”), polyethylene glycol (“PEG”),polyvinyl alcohol (“PYA”), polyacrylic acid, and the like; naturalpolymers, such as gelatin, dextran, chitosan, pullulan, and the like;surfactants, such as sodium oleate, dodecylamine, sodiumcarboxymethylcellulose, and the like; inorganic materials, such as goldor silica; and biological materials, such as phospholipids.

Also provided herein are non-invasive methods of detectingcomplement-mediated inflammation in an individual using theantibody-targeted USPIO nanoparticle or nanoparticle aggregatecompositions provided herein. In certain embodiments, the inventionprovides non-invasive methods of detecting complement-mediatedinflammation in an individual, the methods comprising: (a) administeringto the individual a composition comprising an effective amount ofantibody-targeted ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide (“USPIO”)nanoparticles or aggregates thereof; and (2) taking a magnetic resonanceimage of the individual. In some of the embodiments described herein,the complement-mediated inflammation is alternative complement-mediatedinflammation.

In some of the embodiments described herein, the compositionadministered to the individual is a pharmaceutical compositioncomprising any of the antibody-targeted USPIO nanoparticle compositionsdescribed herein. In some of the embodiments described herein, thecomposition administered to the individual is a pharmaceuticalcomposition comprising any of the antibody-targeted USPIO nanoparticleaggregate compositions described herein.

As used herein, the term “magnetic resonance imaging” or “MRI” refers toa non-invasive medical imaging technique commonly used to visualize thestructure and function of the body that provides detailed images of thebody in any plane. MRI provides much greater contrast between thedifferent soft tissues of the body than other non-invasive imagingmethods, such as computed tomography (CT), making it especially usefulin neurological, musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, and oncological(cancer) imaging. Unlike CT, it does not require ionizing radiation,instead using a powerful magnetic field to align the nuclearmagnetization of hydrogen atoms in water in the body. Radiofrequencyfields are used to systematically alter the alignment of thismagnetization, causing the hydrogen nuclei to produce a rotatingmagnetic field detectable by the scanner. This signal can be manipulatedby additional magnetic fields to build up enough information toreconstruct an image of the body or a portion thereof.

When an individual lies in a scanner, the hydrogen nuclei (i.e.,protons) found in abundance in water molecules throughout theindividual's body, align with the strong main magnetic field. A secondelectromagnetic field, which oscillates at radiofrequencies and isperpendicular to the main field, is then pulsed to push a proportion ofthe protons out of alignment with the main field. These protons thendrift back into alignment with the main field, emitting a detectableradiofrequency signal as they do so. Since protons in different bodytissues (e.g., fat vs. muscle) realign at different speeds, differentbody structures can be imaged. Contrast agents may be injectedintravenously to enhance the appearance of blood vessels, organs, tumorsor sites of inflammation.

As used herein, an “effective amount” or “diagnostically effectiveamount” of an antibody-targeted ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide(“USPIO”) nanoparticle or nanoparticle aggregate composition (includingany of the pharmaceutical compositions described herein) is an amountsufficient to produce a clinically useful magnetic resonance image ofcomplement-mediated inflammation. A clinically useful magnetic resonanceimage is one containing sufficient detail to enable an experiencedclinician to assess the degree and/or extent of inflammation forpurposes of diagnosis, monitoring the efficacy of a therapeuticintervention, and the like. As used herein, an “effective amount” or“diagnostically effective amount” of an antibody-targeted detectablemoiety or antibody conjugate or anti-C3d antibody conjugate (includingany of the pharmaceutical compositions described herein) is an amountsufficient to produce a clinically useful characterization ormeasurement of complement-mediated inflammation or complement activation(e.g. in an individual, patient, human, mammal, clinical sample, tissue,or biopsy) when coupled with a detection method capable of detecting theantibody-targeted detectable moiety or antibody conjugate or anti-C3dantibody conjugate. A clinically useful characterization or measurementof complement-mediated inflammation or complement activation is onecontaining sufficient detail to enable an experienced clinician toassess the degree and/or extent of inflammation or complement activationfor purposes of diagnosis, monitoring the efficacy of a therapeuticintervention, and the like.

Delivery of ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide (“USPIO”)nanoparticles, USPIO nanoparticle aggregates, superparamagnetic ironoxide (“SPIO”) nanoparticles, SPIO nanoparticle aggregates or othernanoparticle contrast agents (examples of detectable moieties) to thesites of active inflammation via antibody-targeting to sites ofcomplement activation permits non-invasive magnetic resonance imaging ofsuch inflammation, enabling the specific detection of complementactivation throughout the body, and distinguishing complement-mediatedinflammation from other types of inflammation.

Accordingly, in one aspect, the invention provides compositionscomprising antibody-targeted nanoparticle contrast agents fornon-invasive medical or diagnostic imaging applications. In certainembodiments, the antibody-targeted nanoparticle contrast agentcompositions include USPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof. Incertain embodiments, the antibody-targeted nanoparticle contrast agentcompositions include antibody-targeted liposomes or otherantibody-targeted delivery vehicles containing Gadolinium chelate(“Gd-chelate”) molecules. Antibody-targeted nanoparticle contrast agentsor compositions and antibody targeted ultrasmall super paramagnetic ironoxide (“USPIO”) nanoparticles or aggregates are examples of antibodyconjugates.

At least two physicochemical characteristics of ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide (“USPIO”) nanoparticles or aggregates thereofvary with the size of the individual nanoparticles or nanoparticleaggregates. First, the ability of USPIO nanoparticle preparations toenhance contrast in MRI imaging and the degree of contrast enhancementboth vary with nanoparticle diameter, because the magnetic moment ofindividual USPIO nanoparticles also varies with particle diameter. Ironoxide nanoparticles with diameters up to approximately 15 nm (preferablyless than 10 nm) remain super paramagnetic, but larger iron oxidenanoparticles lose their superparamagnetic properties. Thus, there is anupper limit to the diameter of USPIO nanoparticles suitable for use asMRI contrast reagents. This limitation can be overcome by use ofmultiparticle aggregates of smaller individual USPIO nanoparticles. SuchUSPIO nanoparticle aggregates effectively enhance MRI contrast becausethe magnetic moments of the individual nanoparticles within eachnanoparticle aggregate are additive. Unlike individual iron oxidenanoparticles, aggregates of ultra small super paramagnetic iron oxidenanoparticles do not lose their paramagnetic properties with increasedsize.

Second, the in vivo half-life (e.g., circulating plasma or bloodhalf-life and tissue half-life) and biodistribution of USPIOnanoparticles or aggregates thereof varies with nanoparticle oraggregate size. For example, USPIO nanoparticles ˜10 nm or less indiameter (monochrystalline iron oxide nanoparticles) have a circulatingblood half-life of ˜81 minutes (R. Weissleder et al., 1990, Radial.175(2):489-493), USPIO nanoparticles ˜50 nm in diameter have acirculating half-life of ˜30 minutes (D. Pouliquen et al., 1991, Magnet.Resonance Imag. 9(3):275-283), USPIO nanoparticles ˜150 nm in diameterare thought to have a circulating half-life of less than ˜30 minutes,and USPIO nanoparticles ˜80 nm in diameter have a tissue half-life onthe order of one to several days (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, ormore days) and a whole body half-life of ˜45 days (R. Weissleder et al.,1989, Am. J. Roentgenol. 152(1):167-173). Effective targeted MRIcontrast-enhancing reagents must circulate in the vasculature longenough to recognize and bind the desired target (e.g., renal deposits ofC3 breakdown products) while still being cleared quickly enough tominimize any potential toxicity. Optimal USPIO nanoparticle ornanoparticle aggregate sizes for generating clinically useful magneticresonance images vary depending on the organ (e.g., the kidney, eye,retina), tissue, and/or physiological phenomenon (e.g.,complement-mediated inflammation) to be imaged.

The circulating half-life of USPIO nanoparticles or nanoparticleaggregates can also be altered (i.e., reduced or extended) by coatingthem with different materials. For instance, USPIO nanoparticles ornanoparticle aggregates can be coated with natural or syntheticpolymers, surfactants, or phospholipids, among other materials, any ofwhich may be modified or derivatized to permit attachment of targetinggroups, either directly or indirectly via different types of linkers,including peptides, polypeptides, proteins, or other chemical groups. Insome cases, the coatings may be further modified to incorporatesynthetic polymers, natural polymers, aphiphilic polymers, or othermolecules (e.g., polyvinylpyrrolidone (“PVP”), poly (lactic-co-glycolicacid) (“PLGA”), polyethylene glycol (“PEG”), polyvinyl alcohol (“PYA”),polyacrylic acid, and the like) suitable for stabilizing the aggregatesor minimizing their susceptibility to extravasation, opsonization,phagocytosis, endocytosis or other modes of physiological clearance. Aswith USPIO nanoparticle or nanoparticle aggregate size, the particularcoating, modification or derivatization suitable for targeting thenanoparticles or nanoparticle aggregates to a desired organ (e.g., thekidney, eye, retina), tissue, and/or physiological phenomenon (e.g.,complement-mediated inflammation) may be determined empirically.Disclosed herein is identification of an optimal USPIO nanoparticleaggregate size range and coating type suitable for production of stabletargeted USPIO nanoparticle aggregates with a circulating half-life longenough that the aggregates reach their targets, permitting detection ofcomplement-mediated inflammation in particular tissues, while not beingcleared so quickly that they cannot find and bind to their targets.

In embodiments, the disclosure features a diagnostic or monitoring kitincluding: (i) any of the antibodies or antigen-binding fragmentsthereof described herein and means for delivering the antibody orantigen-binding fragment to a human; or (ii) any of the constructs (e.g.conjugates, anti-C3d antibody-conjugates) and means for delivering theconstructs (e.g. conjugates, anti-C3d antibody-conjugates) to a human.

In certain embodiments, the USPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereofare between about 1 nm and about 1000 nm in diameter. In certainembodiments, the USPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof are betweenabout 5 nm and about 500 nm in diameter. In certain embodiments, theUSPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof are between about 10 nm andabout 100 nm in diameter. In certain embodiments, the USPIOnanoparticles or aggregates thereof are between about 50 nm and about150 nm in diameter. In certain embodiments, the USPIO nanoparticles oraggregates thereof are between about 65 nm and about 85 nm in diameter.In certain embodiments, the USPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereofare about 75 nm in diameter. In certain embodiments, the USPIOnanoparticles or aggregates thereof are about 150 nm in diameter. Incertain embodiments, the USPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof arebetween about 1 nm and about 1000 nm in diameter and coated withamphiphilic polymer. In certain embodiments, the USPIO nanoparticles oraggregates thereof are between about 5 nm and about 500 nm in diameterand coated with amphiphilic polymer. In certain embodiments, the USPIOnanoparticles or aggregates thereof are between about 10 nm and about100 nm in diameter and coated with amphiphilic polymer. In certainembodiments, the USPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof are betweenabout 50 nm and about 150 nm in diameter and coated with amphiphilicpolymer. In certain embodiments, the USPIO nanoparticles or aggregatesthereof are between about 65 nm and about 85 nm in diameter and coatedwith amphiphilic polymer. In certain embodiments, the USPIOnanoparticles or aggregates thereof are about 75 nm in diameter andcoated with amphiphilic polymer. In certain embodiments, the USPIOnanoparticles or aggregates thereof are about 150 nm in diameter andcoated with amphiphilic polymer. In certain embodiments, the USPIOnanoparticles or aggregates thereof are between about 1 nm and about1000 nm in diameter and phospholipid-encapsulated. In certainembodiments, the USPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof are betweenabout 5 nm and about 500 nm in diameter and phospholipid-encapsulated.In certain embodiments, the USPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereofare between about 10 nm and about 100 nm in diameter andphospholipid-encapsulated. In certain embodiments, the USPIOnanoparticles or aggregates thereof are between about 50 nm and about150 nm in diameter and phospholipid-encapsulated. In certainembodiments, the USPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof are betweenabout 65 nm and about 85 nm in diameter and phospholipid-encapsulated.In certain embodiments, the USPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereofare about 75 nm in diameter and phospholipid-encapsulated. In certainembodiments, the USPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof are about 150nm in diameter and phospholipid-encapsulated. In some of the embodimentsdescribed herein, the phospholipid comprises1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine (“DSPE”). In some of theembodiments described herein, the phospholipid is PEGylated. The term“PEGylated” refers in the customary sense to conjugation withpolyethylene glycol (PEG). In certain embodiments described herein, thePEGylated phospholipid further comprises a functional group suitable forcross-linking with an antibody- or bacterial-targeting group. In certainembodiments described herein, the PEGylated phospholipid furthercomprises a functional group suitable for cross-linking an antibodydirected to C3 or fragment thereof, including but not limited to C3b,iC3b, C3dg, C3d and the like. In certain embodiments described herein,the functional group is an amine. In some of the embodiments describedherein, the functional group is maleimide. In any of the embodimentsdescribed herein, the functional group is a thiol. In some of theembodiments described herein, the PEGylated phospholipid includespolyethylene glycol (“PEG”) at a molecular weight ranging from PEG100 toPEG5000, from PEG 500 to PEG5000, from PEG1000 to PEG5000, or fromPEG2000 to PEG4000. In some of the embodiments described herein, thePEGylated phospholipid includes PEG100, PEG200, PEG300, PEG400, PEG500,PEG600, PEG700, PEG800, PEG900, PEG1000, PEG1500, PEG2000, PEG2500,PEG3000, PEG3500, PEG4000, PEG4500, or PEG5000. In some of theembodiments described herein, the phospholipid includes DSPE-PEG2000. Insome of the embodiments described herein, the phospholipid includesamine-functionalized DSPE-PEG2000. In some of the embodiments describedherein, the phospholipid includes amine-functionalized DSPE-PEG2000. Insome of the embodiments described herein, the phospholipid includesmaleimide-functionalized DSPE-PEG2000. In some of the embodimentsdescribed herein, the USPIO nanoparticle aggregates areantibody-targeted, phospholipid-encapsulated, have a circulating plasmahalf-life of between about 20 minutes and about 40 minutes, and have atissue half life of one to several days (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8,9, or more days).

In certain embodiments, the USPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereofare between about 1 nm and about 1000 nm in diameter and coated withdextran. In certain embodiments, the USPIO nanoparticles or aggregatesthereof are between about 5 nm and about 500 nm in diameter and coatedwith dextran. In certain embodiments, the USPIO nanoparticles oraggregates thereof are between about 10 nm and about 100 nm in diameterand coated with dextran. In certain embodiments, the USPIO nanoparticlesor aggregates thereof are between about 50 nm and about 150 nm indiameter and coated with dextran. In certain embodiments, the USPIOnanoparticles or aggregates thereof are between about 65 nm and about 85nm in diameter and coated with dextran. In certain embodiments, theUSPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof are about 75 nm in diameterand coated with dextran. In certain embodiments, the USPIO nanoparticlesor aggregates thereof are about 150 nm in diameter and coated withdextran.

In certain embodiments, the phospholipid-encapsulated antibody-targetedUSPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof are between about 1 nm andabout 1000 nm in diameter and include an antibody-targeting groupattached to the phospholipid coating. In certain embodiments, thephospholipid-encapsulated antibody-targeted USPIO nanoparticles oraggregates thereof are between about 5 nm and about 500 nm in diameterand include an antibody-targeting group attached to the phospholipidcoating. In certain embodiments, the phospholipid-encapsulatedantibody-targeted USPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof are betweenabout 10 nm and about 100 nm in diameter and include anantibody-targeting group attached to the phospholipid coating. Incertain embodiments, the phospholipid-encapsulated antibody-targetedUSPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof are between about 50 nm andabout 150 nm in diameter and include an antibody-targeting groupattached to the phospholipid coating. In certain embodiments, thephospholipid-encapsulated antibody-targeted USPIO nanoparticles oraggregates thereof are between about 65 nm and about 85 nm in diameterand include an antibody-targeting group attached to the phospholipidcoating. In certain embodiments, the phospholipid-encapsulatedantibody-targeted USPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof are about 75nm in diameter and include an antibody-targeting group attached to thephospholipid coating. In certain embodiments, thephospholipid-encapsulated antibody-targeted USPIO nanoparticles oraggregates thereof are about 150 nm in diameter and include anantibody-targeting group attached to the phospholipid coating. In someof the embodiments described herein, the phospholipid includes1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine (“DSPE”). In some of theembodiments described herein, the phospholipid is PEGylated. In some ofthe embodiments described herein, the PEGylated phospholipid furtherincludes a functional group suitable for cross-linking with aantibody-targeting group. In some of the embodiments described herein,the functional group is an amine. In some of the embodiments describedherein, the functional group is maleimide. In some of the embodimentsdescribed herein, the functional group is a thiol. In some of theembodiments described herein, the PEGylated phospholipid comprisespolyethylene glycol (“PEG”) at a molecular weight ranging from PEG100 toPEG5000, from PEG 500 to PEG5000, from PEG1000 to PEG5000, or fromPEG2000 to PEG4000. In some of the embodiments described herein, thePEGylated phospholipid includes PEG100, PEG200, PEG300, PEG400, PEG500,PEG600, PEG700, PEG800, PEG900, PEG1000, PEG1500, PEG2000, PEG2500,PEG3000, PEG3500, PEG4000, PEG4500, or PEG5000. In some of theembodiments described herein, the phospholipid includes DSPE-PEG2000. Insome of the embodiments described herein, the phospholipid includesamine-functionalized DSPE-PEG2000. In some of the embodiments describedherein, the phospholipid includes amine-functionalized DSPE-PEG2000. Insome of the embodiments described herein, the phospholipid includesmaleimide-functionalized DSPE-PEG2000.

An antibody-targeted detectable moiety is a detectable moiety (e.g.USPIO, fluorophore, fluorescent moiety, paramagnetic species,radioisotope, other detectable moiety as described herein) connected toany antibody or antigen binding fragment described herein (e.g. directlybonded, covalently bonded, bonded through a linker, reversibly bonded),wherein the target is the antigen recognized by the antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof. Antibody-targeted detectable moietiesinclude detectable moieties connected to antigen-binding fragments ofantibodies and such moieties are included in the definition of anantibody-targeted moiety or antibody-targeted detectable molecule orantibody-targeted detectable composition. An antibody-targeteddetectable moiety is an antibody conjugate. An antibody-targeteddetectable moiety wherein the antibody is an anti-C3d, anti-C3dg, oranti-iC3b antibody or antigen binding fragment thereof, is an anti-C3dantibody-conjugate.

In some embodiments, the antibody-targeted USPIO nanoparticle aggregateshave a circulating plasma half-life of between about 20 minutes andabout 40 minutes, and have a tissue halflife of one to several days(e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or more days).

In certain embodiments, the dextran-coated antibody-targeted USPIOnanoparticles or aggregates thereof are between about 1 nm and about1000 nm in diameter and include an antibody-targeting group attached tothe dextran coating. In certain embodiments, the dextran-coatedantibody-targeted USPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof are betweenabout 5 nm and about 500 nm in diameter and include anantibody-targeting group attached to the dextran coating. In certainembodiments, the dextran-coated antibody-targeted USPIO nanoparticles oraggregates thereof are between about 10 nm and about 100 nm in diameterand include an antibody-targeting group attached to the dextran coating.In certain embodiments, the dextran-coated antibody-targeted USPIOnanoparticles or aggregates thereof are between about 50 nm and about150 nm in diameter and include an antibody-targeting group attached tothe dextran coating. In certain embodiments, the dextran-coatedantibody-targeted USPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof are betweenabout 65 nm and about 85 nm in diameter and include anantibody-targeting group attached to the dextran coating. In certainembodiments, the dextran-coated antibody-targeted USPIO nanoparticles oraggregates thereof are about 75 nm in diameter and include anantibody-targeting group attached to the dextran coating. In certainembodiments, the dextran-coated antibody-targeted USPIO nanoparticles oraggregates thereof are about 150 nm in diameter and include anantibody-targeting group attached to the dextran coating.

In certain embodiments, the USPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereofare between 1 nm and 1000 nm in diameter. In certain embodiments, theUSPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof are between 5 nm and 500 nm indiameter. In certain embodiments, the USPIO nanoparticles or aggregatesthereof are between 10 nm and 100 nm in diameter. In certainembodiments, the USPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof are between50 nm and 150 nm in diameter. In certain embodiments, the USPIOnanoparticles or aggregates thereof are between 65 nm and 85 nm indiameter. In certain embodiments, the USPIO nanoparticles or aggregatesthereof are 75 nm in diameter. In certain embodiments, the USPIOnanoparticles or aggregates thereof are 150 nm in diameter. In certainembodiments, the USPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof are between 1nm and 1000 nm in diameter and coated with amphiphilic polymer. Incertain embodiments, the USPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof arebetween 5 nm and 500 nm in diameter and coated with amphiphilic polymer.In certain embodiments, the USPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereofare between 10 nm and 100 nm in diameter and coated with amphiphilicpolymer. In certain embodiments, the USPIO nanoparticles or aggregatesthereof are between 50 nm and 150 nm in diameter and coated withamphiphilic polymer. In certain embodiments, the USPIO nanoparticles oraggregates thereof are between 65 nm and 85 nm in diameter and coatedwith amphiphilic polymer. In certain embodiments, the USPIOnanoparticles or aggregates thereof are 75 nm in diameter and coatedwith amphiphilic polymer. In certain embodiments, the USPIOnanoparticles or aggregates thereof are 150 nm in diameter and coatedwith amphiphilic polymer. In certain embodiments, the USPIOnanoparticles or aggregates thereof are between 1 nm and 1000 nm indiameter and phospholipid-encapsulated. In certain embodiments, theUSPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof are between 5 nm and 500 nm indiameter and phospholipid-encapsulated. In certain embodiments, theUSPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof are between 10 nm and 100 nmin diameter and phospholipid-encapsulated. In certain embodiments, theUSPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof are between 50 nm and 150 nmin diameter and phospholipid-encapsulated. In certain embodiments, theUSPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof are between 65 nm and 85 nm indiameter and phospholipid-encapsulated. In certain embodiments, theUSPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof are 75 nm in diameter andphospholipid-encapsulated. In certain embodiments, the USPIOnanoparticles or aggregates thereof are 150 nm in diameter andphospholipid-encapsulated.

In certain embodiments, the USPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereofare between 1 nm and 1000 nm in diameter and coated with dextran. Incertain embodiments, the USPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof arebetween 5 nm and 500 nm in diameter and coated with dextran. In certainembodiments, the USPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof are between10 nm and 100 nm in diameter and coated with dextran. In certainembodiments, the USPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof are between50 nm and 150 nm in diameter and coated with dextran. In certainembodiments, the USPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof are between65 nm and 85 nm in diameter and coated with dextran. In certainembodiments, the USPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof are 75 nm indiameter and coated with dextran. In certain embodiments, the USPIOnanoparticles or aggregates thereof are 150 nm in diameter and coatedwith dextran.

In certain embodiments, the phospholipid-encapsulated antibody-targetedUSPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof are between 1 nm and 1000 nmin diameter and include an antibody-targeting group attached to thephospholipid coating. In certain embodiments, thephospholipid-encapsulated antibody-targeted USPIO nanoparticles oraggregates thereof are between 5 nm and 500 nm in diameter and includean antibody-targeting group attached to the phospholipid coating. Incertain embodiments, the phospholipid-encapsulated antibody-targetedUSPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof are between 10 nm and 100 nmin diameter and include an antibody-targeting group attached to thephospholipid coating. In certain embodiments, thephospholipid-encapsulated antibody-targeted USPIO nanoparticles oraggregates thereof are between 50 nm and 150 nm in diameter and includean antibody-targeting group attached to the phospholipid coating. Incertain embodiments, the phospholipid-encapsulated antibody-targetedUSPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof are between 65 nm and 85 nm indiameter and include an antibody-targeting group attached to thephospholipid coating. In certain embodiments, thephospholipid-encapsulated antibody-targeted USPIO nanoparticles oraggregates thereof are 75 nm in diameter and include anantibody-targeting group attached to the phospholipid coating. Incertain embodiments, the phospholipid-encapsulated antibody-targetedUSPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof are 150 nm in diameter andinclude an antibody-targeting group attached to the phospholipidcoating.

In certain embodiments, the dextran-coated antibody-targeted USPIOnanoparticles or aggregates thereof are between 1 nm and 1000 nm indiameter and include an antibody-targeting group attached to the dextrancoating. In certain embodiments, the dextran-coated antibody-targetedUSPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof are between 5 nm and 500 nm indiameter and include an antibody-targeting group attached to the dextrancoating. In certain embodiments, the dextran-coated antibody-targetedUSPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof are between 10 nm and 100 nmin diameter and include an antibody-targeting group attached to thedextran coating. In certain embodiments, the dextran-coatedantibody-targeted USPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof are between50 nm and 150 nm in diameter and include an antibody-targeting groupattached to the dextran coating. In certain embodiments, thedextran-coated antibody-targeted USPIO nanoparticles or aggregatesthereof are between 65 nm and 85 nm in diameter and include anantibody-targeting group attached to the dextran coating. In certainembodiments, the dextran-coated antibody-targeted USPIO nanoparticles oraggregates thereof are 75 nm in diameter and include anantibody-targeting group attached to the dextran coating. In certainembodiments, the dextran-coated antibody-targeted USPIO nanoparticles oraggregates thereof are 150 nm in diameter and include anantibody-targeting group attached to the dextran coating.

In embodiments, the USPIO has a diameter selected from the groupconsisting of about 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15,16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33,34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, and 50nm. In emboments, the USPIO has a diameter selected from the groupconsisting of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17,18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35,36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, and 50 nm. Inembodiments, the USPIO has a diameter selected from the group consistingof about 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18,19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36,37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54,55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72,73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90,91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106,107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 120,121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 134,135, 136, 137, 138, 139, 140, 141, 142, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147, 148,149, 150, 151, 152, 153, 154, 155, 156, 157, 158, 159, 160, 161, 162,163, 164, 165, 166, 167, 168, 169, 170, 171, 172, 173, 174, 175, 176,177, 178, 179, 180, 181, 182, 183, 184, 185, 186, 187, 188, 189, 190,191, 192, 193, 194, 195, 196, 197, 198, 199, and 200 nm. In embodiments,the USPIO has a diameter selected from the group consisting of 1, 2, 3,4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22,23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40,41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58,59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76,77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94,95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109,110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123,124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137,138, 139, 140, 141, 142, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150, 151,152, 153, 154, 155, 156, 157, 158, 159, 160, 161, 162, 163, 164, 165,166, 167, 168, 169, 170, 171, 172, 173, 174, 175, 176, 177, 178, 179,180, 181, 182, 183, 184, 185, 186, 187, 188, 189, 190, 191, 192, 193,194, 195, 196, 197, 198, 199, and 200 nm. In embodiments, the USPIOaggregate has a diameter selected from the group consisting of about 1,2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21,22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39,40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57,58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75,76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93,94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108,109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 120, 121, 122,123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136,137, 138, 139, 140, 141, 142, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150,151, 152, 153, 154, 155, 156, 157, 158, 159, 160, 161, 162, 163, 164,165, 166, 167, 168, 169, 170, 171, 172, 173, 174, 175, 176, 177, 178,179, 180, 181, 182, 183, 184, 185, 186, 187, 188, 189, 190, 191, 192,193, 194, 195, 196, 197, 198, 199, and 200 nm. In embodiments, the USPIOaggregate has a diameter selected from the group consisting of 1, 2, 3,4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22,23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40,41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58,59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76,77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94,95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109,110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123,124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137,138, 139, 140, 141, 142, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150, 151,152, 153, 154, 155, 156, 157, 158, 159, 160, 161, 162, 163, 164, 165,166, 167, 168, 169, 170, 171, 172, 173, 174, 175, 176, 177, 178, 179,180, 181, 182, 183, 184, 185, 186, 187, 188, 189, 190, 191, 192, 193,194, 195, 196, 197, 198, 199, and 200 nm. In embodiments, the USPIOaggregate has a diameter selected from the group consisting of about 1,2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21,22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39,40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57,58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75,76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93,94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108,109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 120, 121, 122,123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136,137, 138, 139, 140, 141, 142, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150,151, 152, 153, 154, 155, 156, 157, 158, 159, 160, 161, 162, 163, 164,165, 166, 167, 168, 169, 170, 171, 172, 173, 174, 175, 176, 177, 178,179, 180, 181, 182, 183, 184, 185, 186, 187, 188, 189, 190, 191, 192,193, 194, 195, 196, 197, 198, 199, 200, 210, 220, 230, 240, 250, 260,270, 280, 290, 300, 310, 320, 330, 340, 350, 360, 370, 380, 390, 400,410, 420, 430, 440, 450, 460, 470, 480, 490, 500, 510, 520, 530, 540,550, 560, 570, 580, 590, 600, 610, 620, 630, 640, 650, 660, 670, 680,690, 700, 710, 720, 730, 740, 750, 760, 770, 780, 790, 800, 810, 820,830, 840, 850, 860, 870, 880, 890, 900, 910, 920, 930, 940, 950, 960,970, 980, 990, and 1000 nm. In embodiments, the USPIO aggregate has adiameter selected from the group consisting of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8,9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26,27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44,45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62,63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80,81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98,99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112,113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126,127, 128, 129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137, 138, 139, 140,141, 142, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150, 151, 152, 153, 154,155, 156, 157, 158, 159, 160, 161, 162, 163, 164, 165, 166, 167, 168,169, 170, 171, 172, 173, 174, 175, 176, 177, 178, 179, 180, 181, 182,183, 184, 185, 186, 187, 188, 189, 190, 191, 192, 193, 194, 195, 196,197, 198, 199, 200, 210, 220, 230, 240, 250, 260, 270, 280, 290, 300,310, 320, 330, 340, 350, 360, 370, 380, 390, 400, 410, 420, 430, 440,450, 460, 470, 480, 490, 500, 510, 520, 530, 540, 550, 560, 570, 580,590, 600, 610, 620, 630, 640, 650, 660, 670, 680, 690, 700, 710, 720,730, 740, 750, 760, 770, 780, 790, 800, 810, 820, 830, 840, 850, 860,870, 880, 890, 900, 910, 920, 930, 940, 950, 960, 970, 980, 990, and1000 nm.

In embodiments, the USPIO has a diameter selected from the groupconsisting of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15 nm.In embodiments, the USPIO has a diameter selected from the groupconsisting of about 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, and15 nm. In embodiments, the USPIO has a diameter selected from the groupconsisting of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 nm. In embodiments, theUSPIO has a diameter selected from the group consisting of about 1, 2,3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 nm. In embodiments, the USPIO has a diameterbetween about 1 and 15 nm. In embodiments, the USPIO has a diameterbetween 1 and 15 nm. In embodiments, the USPIO has a diameter betweenabout 1 and 10 nm. In embodiments, the USPIO has a diameter between 1and 10 nm. In embodiments, any of the USPIOs described herein may bemodified as described above for USPIOs of different sizes (e.g. coatedwith an amphiphilic polymer, phospholipid encapsulated, coated withdextran, etc., or combinations thereof).

Diagnostic Compositions and Methods

Complement-mediated inflammation associated with many diseases in whichany of the three complement pathways is implicated can be detected bythe non-invasive methods of the present invention. Such diseasesinclude, for example: (1) tissue damage due to ischemia-reperfusionfollowing acute myocardial infarction, aneurysm, stroke, hemorrhagicshock, crush injury, multiple organ failure, hypovolemic shockintestinal ischemia, spinal cord injury, and traumatic brain injury; (2)inflammatory disorders, e.g., burns, endotoxemia and septic shock, adultrespiratory distress syndrome, cardiopulmonary bypass, hemodialysis;anaphylactic shock, severe asthma, angioedema, Crohn's disease, sicklecell anemia, poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis, membranous nephritis,and pancreatitis; (3) transplant rejection, e.g., hyperacute xenograftrejection; (4) pregnancy related diseases such as recurrent fetal lossand pre-eclampsia, and (5) adverse drug reactions, e.g., drug allergy,IL-2 induced vascular leakage syndrome and radiographic contrast mediaallergy. Complement-mediated inflammation associated with autoimmunedisorders including, but not limited to, myasthenia gravis, Alzheimer'sdisease, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupuserythematosus, insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, acute disseminatedencephalomyelitis, Addison's disease, antiphospholipid antibodysyndrome, autoimmune hepatitis, Crohn's disease, Goodpasture's syndrome,Graves' disease, Guillain-Barre syndrome, Hashimoto's disease,idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, pemphigus, Sjogren's syndrome, andTakayasu's arteritis, may also be detected with the methods describedherein.

In certain embodiments, the complement-mediated inflammation to bedetected by the methods provided herein is associated with a disorderselected from the following group: post cardiopulmonary bypasscomplications; myocardial infarction; ischemia/reperfusion injury;stroke; acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS); sepsis; burn injury;inflammation associated with cardiopulmonary bypass and hemodialysis;plasmapheresis; plateletpheresis; leukopheresis; extracorporeal membraneoxygenation (ECMO); heparin-induced extracorporeal LDL precipitation(HELP); radiographic contrast media-induced allergic response;transplant rejection; other inflammatory conditions, autoimmunedisorders, and autoimmune/immune complex diseases such as multiplesclerosis, myasthenia gravis, pancreatitis, rheumatoid arthritis,IgG4-mediated/associated diseases, Alzheimer's disease, asthma, thermalinjury, anaphylactic shock, bowel inflammation, urticaria, angioedema,vasculitis, glomerulonephritis, Sjogren's syndrome, systemic lupuserythromatosus and lupus nephritis.

Membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis type II (MPGN II) is a rarekidney disease leading to persistent proteinuria, hematuria, andnephritic syndrome. FH deficiency and dysfunction in MPGN II have beenreported in several cases. For example, mutations in FH have been foundin human patients with MPGN II. Pigs of the Norwegian Yorkshire breedhave FH defects that are inherited in a recessive pattern. These animalsdevelop MPGN II, show massive complement deposits in the renal glomeruliand die at an early age because of the renal failure. Furthermore, anautoantibody that recognizes FH has been described in a patient withhypocomplementemic MPGN II. Thus, evidence suggests that the alternativecomplement pathway is involved in the development and progression ofMPGN II.

Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) is a disease characterized bymicroangiopathic hemolytic anemia and thrombocytopenia, ultimatelyresulting in acute renal failure, caused by continuous plateletdegradation in the periphery and platelet thrombin in themicrocirculation of the kidney. See e.g., Zipfel, 2001, Seminars inThrombosis Hemostasis 27(3):191-199. There is now considerable evidencethat the nondiarrheal form of HUS (also known as atypical HUS, or aHUS)is associated with alternations and mutations of FH. In addition,autoantibodies to FH have been reported in aHUS patients. Thus, evidencesuggests that the alternative complement pathway is involved in thedevelopment and progression of HUS and aHUS.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic disease which can exhibit a variety ofsystemic manifestations. This disease has an unknown etiology andcharacteristically exhibits a persistent inflammatory synovitis whichusually involves peripheral joints in a symmetric distribution. The mostimportant feature of this incurable condition is complement-mediatedinflammation which causes cartilage destruction, bone erosions and,ultimately, joint deformities that are the hallmark of the disease.

As used herein, the term “ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury” refers toinflammatory injury to the endothelium and underlying parenchymaltissues following reperfusion of hypoxic tissues. It is a generalsyndrome that is responsible for both acute and chronic injury tovarious tissues including, for example, myocardium, central nervoussystem, hind limb and intestine. Ischemia reperfusion injury can resultin necrosis and irreversible cell injury. The complement pathway(including the alternative complement pathway) is a major mediator ofI/R injury. The non-invasive methods provided herein are thus useful fordetection of complement-mediated inflammation associated with ischemiareperfusion that occurs in any organ or tissue, including, but notlimited to, intestinal ischemia-reperfusion injury, renalischemia-reperfusion injury, cardiac ischemia-reperfusion injury,ischemia-reperfusion injury of other internal organs such as the lung orliver, central nervous system ischemia-reperfusion injury,ischemia-reperfusion injury of the limbs or digits, trauma-inducedhypovolemia, or ischemia-reperfusion injury of any transplanted organ ortissue. Ischemia-reperfusion injury can also occur in conjunction with avariety of other conditions including, but not limited to, stroke,spinal cord injury, trauma-induced hypovolemic shock, and autoimmunediseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (e.g., which can be greatlyworsened by ischemic injury of the synovium) or a variety of otherinflammatory diseases (diseases mediated by inflammation or whereininflammation is a symptom that may result in or be associated withischemic events and reperfusion). Other conditions and diseases in whichischemia-reperfusion injury occurs will be known to those of skill inthe art.

The non-invasive methods provided herein may also be used to detectcomplement-mediated inflammation in drusen-associated diseases. As usedherein, the term “drusen-associated disease” refers to any disease inwhich formation of drusen or drusen-like extracellular disease plaquetakes place, and for which drusen or drusen-like extracellular diseaseplaque causes or contributes to thereto or represents a sign thereof.For example, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), characterized bythe formation of macular drusen, is considered a drusen-associateddisease. Non-ocular drusen-related diseases include, but are not limitedto, amyloidosis, elastosis, dense deposit disease, and/oratherosclerosis. The term “drusen-related disease” also includesglomerulonephritis, such as MPGN II.

In another embodiment, the present disclosure provides a method ofmonitoring or diagnosing complement activation in a subject, the methodincluding administering to the subject an effective amount of aconstruct (e.g. conjugates, anti-C3d antibody-conjugates) describedherein.

In another embodiment, provided herein is the use of any of thecompositions as described herein in connection with the methods asdescribed herein, unless otherwise noted or as is clear from thespecific context.

Administration can be achieved by, e.g., local infusion, injection, orby means of an implant. The implant can be of a porous, non-porous, orgelatinous material, including membranes, such as sialastic membranes,or fibers. The implant can be configured for sustained or periodicrelease of the composition to the subject. See, e.g., U.S. PatentApplication Publication No. 20080241223; U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,501,856;4,863,457; and 3,710,795; EP488401; and EP 430539, the disclosures ofeach of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Anantibody or construct (e.g. conjugates, anti-C3d antibody-conjugates)described herein can be delivered to the subject by way of animplantable device based on, e.g., diffusive, erodible, or convectivesystems, e.g., osmotic pumps, biodegradable implants, electrodiffusionsystems, electroosmosis systems, vapor pressure pumps, electrolyticpumps, effervescent pumps, piezoelectric pumps, erosion-based systems,or electromechanical systems.

In some embodiments, the means can be a syringe, e.g., a double-barreledsyringe. In some embodiments, the means can be a trans-scleral patch ora contact lens including the construct (e.g. conjugates, anti-C3dantibody-conjugates) or the antibody or antigen-binding fragmentthereof.

In some embodiments, the means is suitable for intrapulmonary deliveryof the construct (e.g. conjugates, anti-C3d antibody-conjugates), or theantibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof, to the human. For example,the means can be an inhaler or a nebulizer.

In some embodiments, the kits include at least one additional activeagent for use in monitoring or diagnosing a complement-associateddisorder in a human.

In yet another embodiment, the disclosure features a pre-filled syringeincluding: (a) any of the antibodies or antigen-binding fragmentsthereof described herein or any of the constructs (e.g. conjugates,anti-C3d antibody-conjugates) described herein. The construct (e.g.conjugates, anti-C3d antibody-conjugates), or the antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof, can be formulated for intraocular,intravitreal, or intraarticular administration.

In some embodiments, the construct (e.g. conjugates, anti-C3dantibody-conjugates), or the antibody or antigen-binding fragmentthereof, is formulated for intramuscular or subcutaneous administration.

In some embodiments, an antibody, or antigen-binding fragment thereof,or conjugate or construct (e.g. conjugates, anti-C3dantibody-conjugates) described herein is delivered to a subject by wayof local administration. As used herein, “local administration” or“local delivery,” refers to delivery that does not rely upon transportof the composition or agent to its intended target tissue or site viathe vascular system. For example, the composition may be delivered byinjection or implantation of the composition or agent or by injection orimplantation of a device containing the composition or agent. Followinglocal administration in the vicinity of a target tissue or site, thecomposition or agent, or one or more components thereof, may diffuse tothe intended target tissue or site.

In some embodiments, an antibody, or antigen-binding fragment thereof,or conjugate or construct (e.g. conjugates, anti-C3dantibody-conjugates) described herein can be locally administered to ajoint (e.g., an articulated joint). For example, in embodiments wherethe complement-associated disorder is arthritis, an antibody, orantigen-binding fragment thereof, or conjugate or construct (e.g.conjugates, anti-C3d antibody-conjugates) described herein can beadministered directly to a joint (e.g., into a joint space) or in thevicinity of a joint. Examples of intraarticular joints to which, anantibody, or antigen-binding fragment thereof, or conjugate or construct(e.g. conjugates, anti-C3d antibody-conjugates) described herein can belocally administered include, e.g., the hip, knee, elbow, wrist,sternoclavicular, temperomandibular, carpal, tarsal, ankle, and anyother joint subject to arthritic conditions. An antibody, orantigen-binding fragment thereof, or conjugate or construct (e.g.conjugates, anti-C3d antibody-conjugates) described herein can also beadministered to bursa such as, e.g., acromial, bicipitoradial,cubitoradial, deltoid, infrapatellar, ischial, and any other bursa knownin the art of medicine.

In some embodiments, an antibody, or antigen-binding fragment thereof,or conjugate or construct (e.g. conjugates, anti-C3dantibody-conjugates) described herein can be locally administered to theeye. As used herein, the term “eye” refers to any and all anatomicaltissues and structures associated with an eye. The eye has a wallcomposed of three distinct layers: the outer sclera, the middle choroidlayer, and the inner retina. The chamber behind the lens is filled witha gelatinous fluid referred to as the vitreous humor. At the back of theeye is the retina, which detects light. The cornea is an opticallytransparent tissue, which conveys images to the back of the eye. Thecornea includes one pathway for the permeation of drugs into the eye.Other anatomical tissue structures associated with the eye include thelacrimal drainage system, which includes a secretory system, adistributive system and an excretory system. The secretory systemcomprises secretors that are stimulated by blinking and temperaturechange due to tear evaporation and reflex secretors that have anefferent parasympathetic nerve supply and secrete tears in response tophysical or emotional stimulation. The distributive system includes theeyelids and the tear meniscus around the lid edges of an open eye, whichspread tears over the ocular surface by blinking, thus reducing dryareas from developing.

In some embodiments, an antibody, or antigen-binding fragment thereof,or conjugate or construct (e.g. conjugates, anti-C3dantibody-conjugates) described herein is administered to the posteriorchamber of the eye. In some embodiments, an antibody, or antigen-bindingfragment thereof, or conjugate or construct (e.g. conjugates, anti-C3dantibody-conjugates) described herein is administered intravitreally. Insome embodiments, an antibody, or antigen-binding fragment thereof, orconjugate or construct (e.g. conjugates, anti-C3d antibody-conjugates)described herein is administered trans-sclerally.

In some embodiments, an antibody, or antigen-binding fragment thereof,or conjugate or construct (e.g. conjugates, anti-C3dantibody-conjugates) described herein can be administered to a subjectby way of the lung. Pulmonary drug delivery may be achieved byinhalation, and administration by inhalation herein may be oral and/ornasal. Examples of pharmaceutical devices for pulmonary delivery includemetered dose inhalers, dry powder inhalers (DPIs), and nebulizers. Forexample, an antibody, or antigen-binding fragment thereof, or conjugateor construct (e.g. conjugates, anti-C3d antibody-conjugates) describedherein can be administered to the lungs of a subject by way of a drypowder inhaler. These inhalers are propellant-free devices that deliverdispersible and stable dry powder formulations to the lungs. Dry powderinhalers are well known in the art of medicine and include, withoutlimitation: the TurboHaler® (AstraZeneca; London, England) the AIR®inhaler (Alkermes®; Cambridge, Mass.); Rotahaler® (GlaxoSmithKline;London, England); and Eclipse™ (Sanofi-Aventis; Paris, France). Seealso, e.g., PCT Publication Nos. WO 04/026380, WO 04/024156, and WO01/78693. DPI devices have been used for pulmonary administration ofpolypeptides such as insulin and growth hormone. In some embodiments, anantibody, or antigen-binding fragment thereof, or conjugate or construct(e.g. conjugates, anti-C3d antibody-conjugates) described herein can beintrapulmonarily administered by way of a metered dose inhaler. Theseinhalers rely on a propellant to deliver a discrete dose of a compoundto the lungs. Examples of compounds administered by metered doseinhalers include, e.g., Astovent® (Boehringer-Ingelheim; Ridgefield,Conn.) and Flovent® (GlaxoSmithKline). See also, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos.6,170,717; 5,447,150; and 6,095,141.

In some embodiments, an antibody, or antigen-binding fragment thereof,or conjugate or construct (e.g. conjugates, anti-C3dantibody-conjugates) described herein can be administered to the lungsof a subject by way of a nebulizer. Nebulizers use compressed air todeliver a compound as a liquefied aerosol or mist. A nebulizer can be,e.g., a jet nebulizer (e.g., air or liquid-jet nebulizers) or anultrasonic nebulizer. Additional devices and intrapulmonaryadministration methods are set forth in, e.g., U.S. Patent ApplicationPublication Nos. 20050271660 and 20090110679, the disclosures of each ofwhich are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

In some embodiments, an antibody, or antigen-binding fragment thereof,or conjugate or construct (e.g. conjugates, anti-C3dantibody-conjugates) described herein is present in unit dosage form,which can be particularly suitable for self-administration. A formulatedproduct of the present disclosure can be included within a container,typically, for example, a vial, cartridge, prefilled syringe ordisposable pen. A doser such as the doser device described in U.S. Pat.No. 6,302,855 may also be used, for example, with an injection system ofthe present disclosure.

A “subject,” as used herein, can be any mammal For example, a subjectcan be a human, a non-human primate (e.g., orangutan, gorilla, macaque,baboon, or chimpanzee), a horse, a cow, a pig, a sheep, a goat, a dog, acat, a rabbit, a guinea pig, a gerbil, a hamster, a rat, or a mouse. Insome embodiments, the subject is an infant (e.g., a human infant). Insome embodiments, the subject is a patient. In some embodiments, thesubject is a human.

In some embodiments, the present disclosure provides a method ofspecifically targeting a detectable moiety or portion of a construct(e.g. conjugates, anti-C3d antibody-conjugates) to a pre-defined area orcompartment in vivo, thus increasing the local concentration of suchdetectable moiety or portion in such area or compartment but not inother areas or compartments or increasing the accessibility of suchdetectable moiety or portion to at least one pre-defined moleculelocated in such area or compartment, by the specific interaction betweena targeting moiety or portion of such construct (e.g. conjugates,anti-C3d antibody-conjugates) and a target molecule located in such areaor compartment. In some embodiments, the present disclosure provides amethod of specifically targeting an active or detectable moiety orportion of a construct (e.g. conjugates, anti-C3d antibody-conjugates)to a surface of complement activation by an antibody or antigen-bindingfragment thereof which is fused (e.g. directly or through one or morelinkers) to such active or detectable moiety or portion and is able tospecifically bind to a complement component protein. In someembodiments, such complement component protein is C3d or C3dg or iC3b.

Monitoring a subject (e.g., a human patient) for an improvement in acomplement-associated disorder (e.g., sepsis, severe burn, RA, lupusnephritis, Goodpasture's syndrome, or asthma), as defined herein, meansevaluating the subject for a change in a disease parameter, e.g., animprovement in one or more symptoms of a given disorder. The symptoms ofcomplement-associated disorders are well known in the art of medicine.In some embodiments, the evaluation is performed at least one (1) hour,e.g., at least 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 24, or 48 hours, or at least 1 day, 2days, 4 days, 10 days, 13 days, 20 days or more, or at least 1 week, 2weeks, 4 weeks, 10 weeks, 13 weeks, 20 weeks or more, after anadministration. The subject can be evaluated in one or more of thefollowing periods: prior to beginning of treatment; during thetreatment; or after one or more elements of the treatment have beenadministered. Evaluation can include evaluating the need for furthertreatment, e.g., evaluating whether a dosage, frequency ofadministration, or duration of treatment should be altered. It can alsoinclude evaluating the need to add or drop a selected therapeuticmodality, e.g., adding or dropping any of the treatments for acomplement-associated disorder described herein. In some embodiments,monitoring a subject (e.g. patient) includes use of any of theconstructs or conjugates described herein in any of the methodsdescribed herein.

Also provided are articles of manufacture including the compositionsdescribed herein in suitable packaging. Suitable packaging forcompositions (such as ophthalmic compositions) described herein areknown in the art, and include, for example, vials (such as sealedvials), vessels, ampules, bottles, jars, flexible packaging (e.g.,sealed Mylar or plastic bags), and the like. These articles ofmanufacture may further be sterilized and/or sealed.

The present disclosure also provides kits including compositions (orunit dosage forms and/or articles of manufacture) described herein andmay further include instruction(s) on methods of using the composition,such as uses described herein. The kits described herein may furtherinclude other materials desirable from a commercial and user standpoint,including other buffers, diluents, filters, needles, syringes, andpackage inserts with instructions for performing any methods describedherein.

The compositions and formulations of the present disclosure are usefulfor the diagnosis, prognosis, monitoring, or identification ofconditions associated with complement activation, preferably those whichinvolve the complement alternative pathway, which is largely unaffectedby terminal complement inhibitors (e.g., inhibitors of steps of thecomplement pathway subsequent to the activation of C3).

In certain embodiments, the invention provides non-invasive methods ofdetecting complement-mediated inflammation in an individual in needthereof including: (a) administering to the individual a compositionincluding an effective amount of antibody-targeted ultrasmallsuperparamagnetic iron oxide (“USPIO”) nanoparticles or aggregatesthereof and (b) taking a magnetic resonance image of the individual. Incertain embodiments, the composition is any of the pharmaceuticalcompositions including antibody-targeted USPIO nanoparticles oraggregates thereof or other antibody-targeted detectable moiety orantibody conjugate described herein. In certain embodiments, theindividual is a mammal. In certain embodiments, the mammal is a human, amouse, or a rat. In certain embodiments, the compositions includingantibody-targeted USPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof or otherantibody-targeted detectable moieties or antibody conjugates areadministered by injection. In certain embodiments, the injection isparenteral, intravenous, subcutaneous, or intramuscular. In some of theembodiments described herein, the complement-mediated inflammation isalternative complement-mediated inflammation. In some embodiments,provided herein are non-invasive methods of detectingcomplement-mediated inflammation or complement activation in anindividual in need thereof including: (a) administering to theindividual a composition including an effective amount of anantibody-targeted detectable moiety (i.e. antibody conjugate) and (b)measuring the presence of the antibody-targeted detectable moiety (i.e.antibody conjugate) using an instrument and/or method (e.g. MRI, CT,SPECT, radiography, spectroscopy, microscopy, PET, ultrasound, or anyother detection method described herein) capable of detecting thepresence of the detectable moiety.

The antibody-targeted USPIO nanoparticle or nanoparticle aggregatecompositions or other antibody-targeted detectable moieties or antibodyconjugates described herein can be administered to an individual via anyroute, including, but not limited to, intravenous (e.g., by infusionpumps), intraperitoneal, intraocular, intraarterial, intravesicular,intramuscular, subcutaneous, intrathecal, transpleural, intraarterial,subcutaneous, intraarticular, intracisternal, intraventricular,intracranial, intraurethral, intrahepatic, and intratumoral. In certainembodiments, the antibody-targeted USPIO nanoparticle or nanoparticleaggregate compositions or other antibody-targeted detectable moieties orantibody conjugates are administered systemically (for example, byintravenous injection). In some embodiments, the antibody-targeted USPIOnanoparticle or nanoparticle aggregate compositions or otherantibody-targeted detectable moieties or antibody conjugates areadministered locally (for example, by intraarterial or intraocularinjection).

In certain embodiments, the compositions are administered directly tothe eye or the eye tissue. In certain embodiments, the compositions areadministered by injection to the eye (intraocular injection) or to thetissues associated with the eye. The antibody-targeted USPIOnanoparticle or nanoparticle aggregate compositions or otherantibody-targeted detectable moieties or antibody conjugates can beadministered, for example, by intraocular injection, periocularinjection, subretinal injection, intravitreal injection, transseptalinjection, subscleral injection, intrachoroidal injection, intracameralinjection, subconjunctival injection, subtenon injection, retrobulbarinjection, or peribulbar injection. These methods are known in the art.For example, exemplary periocular routes for retinal drug delivery aredisclosed in “Periocular routes for retinal drug delivery,” Raghava etal., 2004, Exp. Opin. Drug Deliv. 1(1):99-114. The antibody-targetedUSPIO nanoparticle or nanoparticle aggregate compositions or otherantibody-targeted detectable moieties or antibody conjugates may beadministered, for example, to the vitreous humor, aqueous humor, sclera,conjunctiva, the area between the sclera and conjunctiva, the retina,the choroid, the macula, to any other area in or proximate to the eye ofan individual.

In certain embodiments, the antibody-targeted compositions areadministered intravascularly, such as intravenously (IV) orintraarterially. In certain embodiments (for example for the treatmentof renal diseases), the compositions are administered directly intoarteries (such as renal arteries).

In certain embodiments, the complement-mediated inflammation isassociated with tissue damage resulting from ischemia reperfusioninjury, inflammatory disorders, transplant rejection, pregnancy-relateddiseases, adverse drug reactions, and autoimmune or immune complexdisorders. In certain embodiments, the tissue damage resulting fromischemia reperfusion injury is associated with a disorder selected fromthe group consisting of myocardial infarction, aneurysm, stroke,hemorrhagic shock, crush injury, multiple organ failure, hypovolemicshock, intestinal ischemia, spinal cord injury and traumatic braininjury. In certain embodiments, the inflammatory disorder is selectedfrom the group consisting of burns, endotoxemia, septic shock, adultrespiratory distress syndrome, cardiopulmonary bypass, hemodialysis,anaphylactic shock, asthma, angioedema, Crohn's disease, sickle cellanemia, poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis, membranous nephritis, andpancreatitis. In certain embodiments, the transplant rejection ishyperacute xenograft rejection. In certain embodiments, thepregnancy-related disease is selected from the group consisting ofrecurrent fetal loss and pre-eclampsia. In certain embodiments, theadverse drug reaction is selected from the group consisting of drugallergy and IL-2 induced vascular leakage syndrome. In certainembodiments, the autoimmune or immune complex disorder is selected fromthe group consisting of myasthenia gravis, Alzheimer's disease, multiplesclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, IgG4 mediated/associated diseases,systemic lupus erythematosus, lupus nephritis, insulin-dependentdiabetes mellitus, acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, Addison'sdisease, antiphospholipid antibody syndrome, autoimmune hepatitis,Crohn's disease, Goodpasture's syndromes, Graves' disease,Guillain-Barre syndrome, Hashimoto's disease, idiopathicthrombocytopenic purpura, pemphigus, Sjogren's syndrome, Takayasu'sarteritis, autoimmune glomerulonephritis, membranoproliferativeglomerulonephritis type II, hemolytic uremic syndrome, and atypicalhemolytic uremic syndrome. In certain embodiments, the autoimmuneglomerulonephritis is associated with immunoglobulin A nephropathy ormembranoproliferative glomerulonephritis type I.

Also provided herein are non-invasive methods of detectingcomplement-mediated inflammation associated with systemic lupuserythematosus (SLE), membranous glomerulonephritis, or lupus nephritisin an individual in need thereof using the antibody-targeted USPIOnanoparticle or nanoparticle aggregate compositions provided herein. Incertain embodiments, the complement-mediated inflammation is alternativecomplement-mediated inflammation.

As used herein, the term “systemic lupus erythematosus” or “lupus” or“SLE” refers to a chronic, occasionally fatal, autoimmune disease. Aswith other autoimmune diseases, in SLE, the immune system attacks thebody's cells and tissue, resulting in inflammation and tissue damage.SLE can affect any part of the body, but most often harms the heart,joints, skin, lungs, blood vessels, liver, kidneys, and nervous system.The course of the disease is unpredictable, with periods of illness, orflares, alternating with periods of remission. Diagnosis can be elusive,with patients sometimes suffering unexplained symptoms and untreated SLEfor years. Common initial and chronic complaints are fever, malaise,joint pains, myalgias, fatigue and temporary loss of cognitiveabilities. In some cases, the disease is accompanied by chronic renaldysfunction, including the development of lupus nephritis.

As used herein, the term “membranous glomerulonephritis” or “lupusnephritis” refers to an inflammation of the kidney caused by the chronicautoimmune disease SLE. Those afflicted with lupus nephritis may or maynot have renal symptoms, but the disease can manifest itself throughweight gain, high blood pressure, darker foamy urine or swelling aroundthe eyes, legs, ankles or fingers.

SLE is a complex autoimmune disease with pleiotropic clinicalmanifestations. Up to 80% of patients with lupus develop renalabnormalities, but the renal prognosis varies greatly within thispopulation. C. Parikh et al., (2006) “The Long Term Outcome ofGlomerular Diseases, in DISEASES OF THE KIDNEY AND Urinary TRACT:CLINICOPATHO-LOGIC FOUNDATIONS OF MEDICINE (R. W. Schrier ed., 8th ed.,Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Philadelphia, Pa.). Furthermore, inindividual patients the disease may transform from one pattern toanother. In some cases, the only renal manifestation of the disease ispainless hematuria or proteinuria, but in some cases patients developlupus nephritis, leading to acute or end-stage renal failure. Patientswith active proliferative nephritis are usually treated with steroids incombination with cytotoxic agents or mycophenolate mofetil. Waldman, M.et al., 2006, Kidney Int. 70:1403-1412. Because of the significantmorbidity associated with these agents, however, careful considerationis necessary to identify patients who require aggressive therapy. Theduration and intensity of therapy are also frequently adjusted accordingto how well a patient is responding. Thus, one of the great challengesto treating SLE patients with lupus nephritis is assessing the activityof the disease, and tailoring pharmacologic therapy to achieve remissionwhile minimizing toxicity.

The most commonly used system for classifying the different histologicpatterns of lupus nephritis was originally developed by the World HealthOrganization (“WHO”), and is based upon the appearance of glomeruli bylight microscopy. J. J. Weening et al., 2004, J. Am. Soc. Nephrol.15:241-250. Proliferative lupus nephritis (WHO class III or IV) has theworst prognosis and most large clinical trials have focused on theresponse of these patients to therapy. The histologic pattern of diseasemay change over time or in response to treatment, however, and clinicalparameters do not correlate well with disease activity. Serologicstudies, such as measurement of perturbations in circulating levels ofC3 and C4, are also poor markers of disease activity and are notspecific to renal disease activity.

Histologically, a hallmark of SLE is membranous glomerulonephritis (alsoreferred to as “lupus nephritis”) with “wire loop” abnormalities,comprising a glomerular capillary loop with a circumferential,subendothelial immune complex deposit around the loop. The wire looplesion results from immune complex deposition along the glomerularbasement membrane, which leads to a characteristic granular appearancein immunofluorescence images. Thus, the diagnosis of active lupusnephritis is founded upon the presence of mesangial, subendothelial,and/or subepithelial immune-complexes. Complement activation is anessential prerequisite to active immune complex disease such as lupusnephritis.

Because effective treatment of proliferative lupus nephritis oftenrequires treatment with potent immunosuppressive agents such ascyclophosphamide or mycophenolate mofetil, treatment is usually guidedby examination of a renal biopsy. Definitive diagnosis of glomerulardiseases such as active lupus nephritis is based upon the examination ofrenal biopsy tissue by light microscopy, electron microscopy, andimmunofluorescence staining for clinical markers of inflammation,including, but not limited to, IgM, IgA, IgG, C3, C4, and C1q.

Percutaneous renal biopsy is the gold standard for the definitivediagnosis of lupus nephritis and for monitoring the course of disease.As discussed herein, however, renal biopsies have their limitations andrisks. Because a needle biopsy samples only a small portion of thekidney, there is a risk of sample error leading to an incorrectdiagnosis. Furthermore, although biopsy is a generally safe procedure,major complications may occur in a significant percentage of biopsiesand intra-renal bleeding and hematuria are common W. L. Whittier et al.,2004, I. Am. Soc. Nephrol. 15:142-147; D. C. Mendelssohn et al., 1995,Am. J. Kidney Disease 26:580-585. Therefore, there is a need to developaccurate, safe, and non-invasive methods to image and diagnose renalinflammation, including lupus nephritis associated with SLE.

MRI can be used to non-invasively acquire tissue images with highresolution. Paramagnetic agents or USPIO nanoparticles or aggregatesthereof enhance signal attenuation on T₂-weighted magnetic resonanceimages, and conjugation of such nanoparticles to binding ligands permitsthe detection of specific molecules at the cellular level. For example,MRI with nanoparticle detection agents can image cell migration (J. W.Bulte et al., 2001, Nat. Biotechnol. 19:1141-1147), apoptosis (M. Zhaoet al., 2001, Nat. Med. 7:1241-1244), and can detect small foci ofcancer. See e.g., Y. W. Jun et al., 2005, J. Am. Chern. Soc.127:5732-5733; Y. M. Huh et al., 2005, J. Am. Chern. Soc.127:12387-12391. Contrast-enhanced MRI is well-suited for the dynamicnon-invasive imaging of macromolecules or of molecular events, but itrequires ligands that specifically bind to the molecule of interest. J.W. Bulte et al., 2004, NMR Biomed. 17:484-499. Fluorescent dyes andfluorophores (e.g. fluorescein, fluorescein isothiocyanate, andfluorescein derivatives) can be used to non-invasively acquire tissueimages with high resolution, with for example spectrophotometry,two-photon fluorescence, two-photon laser microscropy, or fluorescencemicroscopy (e.g. of tissue biopsies). MRI can be used to non-invasivelyacquire tissue images with high resolution, with for exampleparamagnetic molecules, paramagnetic nanoparticles, ultrasmallsuperparamagnetic iron oxide (“USPIO”) nanoparticles, USPIO nanoparticleaggregates, superparamagnetic iron oxide (“SPIO”) nanoparticles, SPIOnanoparticle aggregates, monochrystalline iron oxide nanoparticles,monochrystalline iron oxide, other nanoparticle contrast agents. MRI canbe used to non-invasively acquire tissue images with high resolution,with for example Gadolinium, including liposomes or other deliveryvehicles containing Gadolinium chelate (“Gd-chelate”) molecules.Positron emission tomography (PET), PET/computed tomography (CT), singlephoton emission computed tomography (SPECT), and SPECT/CT can be used tonon-invasively acquire tissue images with high resolution, with forexample radionuclides (e.g. carbon-11, nitrogen-13, oxygen-15,fluorine-18, rubidium-82), fluorodeoxyglucose (e.g. fluorine-18labeled), any gamma ray emitting radionuclides, positron-emittingradionuclide, radiolabeled glucose, radiolabeled water, radiolabeledammonia. Ultrasound and contrast enhanced ultrasound can be used tonon-invasively acquire tissue images with high resolution, with forexample biocolloids or microbubbles (e.g. including microbubble shellsincluding albumin, galactose, lipid, and/or polymers; microbubble gascore including air, heavy gas(es), perfluorcarbon, nitrogen,octafluoropropane, perflexane lipid microsphere, perflutren, etc.).X-ray imaging (radiography) or CT can be used to non-invasively acquiretissue images with high resolution, with for example iodinated contrastagents (e.g. iohexol, iodixanol, ioversol, iopamidol, ioxilan,iopromide, diatrizoate, metrizoate, ioxaglate), barium sulfate, thoriumdioxide, gold, gold nanoparticles, or gold nanoparticle aggregates.

Because complement (e.g., the alternative complement pathway) is knownto be involved in etiology and progression of renal inflammation andlupus nephritis associated with SLE, a ligand capable of targetingcomponents of the complement pathway (e.g., the alternative complementpathway) would be useful in targeted delivery of USPIO nanoparticles oraggregates thereof to sites of renal inflammation in SLE patients. Forexample, specific antibodies (or antigen-binding fragment thereof) couldbe used, which bind C3b, iC3b, and C3d cleavage products of alternativecomplement protein C3. Phospholipid-encapsulated or dextran-coated USPIOnanoparticles or aggregates thereof can be covalently conjugated to aprotein ligand such as an antibody or antibody fragment by linkage tothiol, amine, or carboxyl groups, either directly or through an antibodyor antibody fragment. The labeled protein can then be used to target theUSPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof or other antibody-targeteddetectable moieties or antibody conjugates to sites ofcomplement-mediated (e.g., alternative complement-mediated)inflammation.

Thus, in certain embodiments, the invention provides non-invasivemethods of detecting complement-mediated inflammation associated withsystemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), membranous glomerulonephritis, orlupus nephritis in an individual in need thereof, the methodscomprising: (1) administering to the individual a composition comprisingan effective amount of antibody-targeted USPIO nanoparticles oraggregates thereof or other antibody-targeted detectable moiety orantibody conjugate; and (2) taking a magnetic resonance image of theindividual or measurement capable of detecting the detectable moietyadministered in step (1). In certain embodiments, thecomplement-mediated inflammation is alternative complement-mediatedinflammation. In certain embodiments, the individual is a mammal. Incertain embodiments, the mammal is a human, a mouse, or a rat. Incertain embodiments, the compositions comprising antibody-targeted USPIOnanoparticles or aggregates thereof or other antibody-targeteddetectable moiety or antibody conjugate are administered by injection.In certain embodiments, the injection is parenteral, intravenous,subcutaneous, or intramuscular.

Diagnostic Conjugate Compositions

In an aspect is provided a construct including: (a) a C3d bindingportion; and (b) a complement diagnostic portion, wherein (a) and (b)are joined (a “conjugate” or “conjugate molecule”).

In some embodiments, the C3d binding portion includes an anti-C3dantibody or anti-C3dg antibody or anti-iC3b antibody, or antigen-bindingfragment thereof, including any of the anti-C3d/C3dg antibodies orantigen-binding fragments thereof described herein, anti-C3d antibodiesor antigen-binding fragments thereof described herein, anti-C3dgantibodies or antigen-binding fragments thereof described herein, oranti-iC3b antibodies or antigen-binding fragments thereof describedherein. In embodiments, the complement diagnostic portion includes adetectable moiety described herein. In embodiments, the complementdiagnostic portion is a detectable moiety described herein. An “anti-C3dantibody-conjugate” or “anti-C3d antibody conjugate” is a conjugate orconjugate molecule wherein the C3d binding portion is an anti-C3dantibody or anti-C3dg antibody or anti-iC3b antibody, or antigen-bindingfragment thereof of any of these antibodies. In embodiments, theanti-C3d antibody-conjugate includes an anti-C3d antibody, orantigen-binding fragment thereof. In embodiments, the anti-C3dantibody-conjugate includes an anti-C3dg antibody, or antigen-bindingfragment thereof. In embodiments, the anti-C3d antibody-conjugateincludes an anti-iC3b antibody, or antigen-binding fragment thereof.

In some embodiments, the anti-C3d antibody-conjugate includes anantibody, or antigen binding fragment thereof, selected from the groupconsisting of any of the antibodies or antigen binding fragmentsdescribed herein (e.g. including aspects, embodiments, antibodycompositions and uses section above, examples, tables, figures, claims).In some embodiments, the anti-C3d antibody-conjugate includes adetectable moiety selected from the group consisting of any of thedetectable moieties or labels described herein (e.g. including aspects,embodiments, detectable moieties section above, examples, tables,figures, claims). In embodiments, the anti-C3d antibody-conjugateincludes an antibody, or antigen binding fragment thereof, including atleast one CDR described herein. In embodiments, the anti-C3dantibody-conjugate includes an antibody, or antigen binding fragmentthereof, including six CDRs described herein. In embodiments, theanti-C3d antibody-conjugate includes an antibody, or antigen bindingfragment thereof, including an amino acid sequence encoded by a nucleicacid described herein. In embodiments, the anti-C3d antibody-conjugateincludes an antibody, or antigen binding fragment thereof, including anamino acid sequence described herein. In embodiments, the anti-C3dantibody-conjugate includes an amino acid sequence encoded by a nucleicacid described herein. In embodiments, the anti-C3d antibody-conjugateincludes an amino acid sequence described herein.

In some embodiments, the complement diagnostic portion is a compound,composition, or protein. In some embodiments, the complement diagnosticportion is any label or detectable moiety described herein. In someembodiments, the C3d binding portion (e.g. anti-C3d or anti-C3dg, oranti-iC3b portion) binds C3d. In some embodiments, the C3d bindingportion (e.g. anti-C3d or anti-C3dg, or anti-iC3b portion) binds C3dg.In some embodiments, the C3d binding portion (e.g. anti-C3d oranti-C3dg, or anti-iC3b portion) binds iC3b. In some embodiments, theC3d binding portion (e.g. anti-C3d or anti-C3dg, or anti-iC3b portion)binds C3d and C3dg. In some embodiments, the C3d binding portion (e.g.anti-C3d or anti-C3dg, or anti-iC3b portion) binds C3d, C3dg, and iC3b.

In yet another embodiment, the disclosure provides a construct formonitoring or diagnosing complement activation, including: (a) a C3dbinding portion including an anti-C3d antibody or antigen-bindingfragment thereof (e.g. as described herein); and (b) a complementdiagnostic portion including a detectable moiety.

In some embodiments, the construct disclosed herein monitors ordiagnoses complement activity in the complement alternative pathway(CAP). In some embodiments, the construct disclosed herein is a fusionprotein.

The present disclosure provides conjugate molecules described hereinthat may include two moieties or portions, e.g., the targeting moiety orportion and the active diagnostic moiety or portion, which are directlyfused together by a covalent bond or fused through a linker. Such linkermay include, but is not limited to, a peptide. An exemplary peptidelinker is, but is not limited to, (GlySer)_(n) (SEQ ID NO:38), whereinn=1 to 8; (GlyGlyGlySer)_(n) (SEQ ID NO:39), wherein n=1 to 4;(GlyGlyGlyGlySer)_(n) (SEQ ID NO:40), wherein n=1 to 8; or(GlySerSerGly)_(n) (SEQ ID NO:41), wherein n=1 to 4. In someembodiments, the C3d binding portion and the complement diagnosticportion of the construct disclosed herein are joined directly without alinker. In some embodiments, such two portions are joined directlythrough a chemical bond. In other embodiments, such two portions arejoined by a linker. Examples of linker sequences are known in the art,and include, for example, (Gly₄Ser) (SEQ ID NO:42), (Gly₄Ser)₂ (SEQ IDNO:43), (Gly₄Ser)₃ (SEQ ID NO:44), (Gly₄Ser)₄ (SEQ ID NO:45), (SerGly₄)(SEQ ID NO:46), (SerGly₄)₂ (SEQ ID NO:47), (SerGly₄)₃ (SEQ ID NO:48),and (SerGly₄)₄ (SEQ ID NO:49). Linking sequences can also comprise“natural” linking sequences found between different domains ofcomplement factors. For example, VSVFPLE (SEQ ID NO:50) or EYFNKYSS (SEQID NO:51), the linking sequence between the first two N-terminal shortconsensus repeat domains of human CR2, can be used. In some embodiments,the linking sequence between the fourth and the fifth N-terminal shortconsensus repeat domains of human CR2 (EEIF, SEQ ID NO:52) is used.

In some embodiments, a protein (e.g. antibody or antigen-bindingfragment thereof) described herein can be conjugated to a heterologousmoiety. In embodiments where the heterologous moiety is a polypeptide, afusion protein and a corresponding heterologous moiety described hereincan be joined by way of fusion protein. The heterologous moiety can be,e.g., a heterologous polypeptide, a therapeutic agent (e.g., a toxin ora drug), or a detectable label or a detectable moiety such as, but notlimited to, a radioactive label, an enzymatic label, a fluorescentlabel, a luminescent label, ³²P, fluorescent dyes, electron-densereagents, enzymes (e.g., as commonly used in an ELISA), biotin,digoxigenin, paramagnetic molecules, paramagnetic nanoparticles,ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide (“USPIO”) nanoparticles, USPIOnanoparticle aggregates, superparamagnetic iron oxide (“SPIO”)nanoparticles, SPIO nanoparticle aggregates, monochrystalline iron oxidenanoparticles, monochrystalline iron oxide, other nanoparticle contrastagents, liposomes or other delivery vehicles containing Gadoliniumchelate (“Gd-chelate”) molecules, Gadolinium, radioisotopes,radionuclides (e.g. carbon-11, nitrogen-13, oxygen-15, fluorine-18,rubidium-82), fluorodeoxyglucose (e.g. fluorine-18 labeled), any gammaray emitting radionuclides, positron-emitting radionuclide, radiolabeledglucose, radiolabeled water, radiolabeled ammonia, biocolloids,microbubbles (e.g. including microbubble shells including albumin,galactose, lipid, and/or polymers; microbubble gas core including air,heavy gas(es), perfluorcarbon, nitrogen, octafluoropropane, perflexanelipid microsphere, perflutren, etc.), iodinated contrast agents (e.g.iohexol, iodixanol, ioversol, iopamidol, ioxilan, iopromide,diatrizoate, metrizoate, ioxaglate), barium sulfate, thorium dioxide,gold, gold nanoparticles, gold nanoparticle aggregates, fluorophores,two-photon fluorophores, haptens, proteins or other entities which canbe made detectable. Suitable heterologous polypeptides include, e.g., anantigenic tag (e.g., FLAG, polyhistidine, hemagglutinin (HA),glutathione-S-transferase (GST), or maltose-binding protein (MBP)) foruse in purifying the antibodies. Heterologous polypeptides also includepolypeptides that are useful as diagnostic or detectable markers, forexample, luciferase, green fluorescent protein (GFP), or chloramphenicolacetyl transferase (CAT). Where the heterologous moiety is apolypeptide, the moiety can be incorporated into a fusion proteindescribed herein, resulting in a fusion protein.

In embodiments, the detectable moiety is a radioactive label. Inembodiments, the detectable moiety is an enzymatic label. Inembodiments, the detectable moiety is a fluorescent label. Inembodiments, the detectable moiety is a luminescent label. Inembodiments, the detectable moiety is ³²P. In embodiments, thedetectable moiety is a fluorescent dye. In embodiments, the detectablemoiety is an electron-dense reagent. In embodiments, the detectablemoiety is an enzyme (e.g., as commonly used in an ELISA). Inembodiments, the detectable moiety is biotin. In embodiments, thedetectable moiety is digoxigenin. In embodiments, the detectable moietyis a paramagnetic molecule. In embodiments, the detectable moiety is aparamagnetic composition. In embodiments, the detectable moiety is aparamagnetic nanoparticle. In embodiments, the detectable moiety is anultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide (“USPIO”) nanoparticle. Inembodiments, the detectable moiety is a USPIO nanoparticle aggregate. Inembodiments, the detectable moiety is a superparamagnetic iron oxide(“SPIO”) nanoparticle. In embodiments, the detectable moiety is an SPIOnanoparticle aggregate. In embodiments, the detectable moiety is amonochrystalline iron oxide nanoparticle. In embodiments, the detectablemoiety is a monochrystalline iron oxide. In embodiments, the detectablemoiety is a nanoparticle contrast agent. In embodiments, the detectablemoiety is a liposome. In embodiments, the detectable moiety is adelivery vehicle including a Gadolinium chelate (“Gd-chelate”) molecule.In embodiments, the detectable moiety is Gadolinium. In embodiments, thedetectable moiety is a radioisotope. In embodiments, the detectablemoiety is a radionuclide (e.g. carbon-11, nitrogen-13, oxygen-15,fluorine-18, or rubidium-82). In embodiments, the detectable moiety isfluorodeoxyglucose (e.g. fluorine-18 labeled). In embodiments, thedetectable moiety is a gamma ray emitting radionuclide. In embodiments,the detectable moiety is a positron-emitting radionuclide. Inembodiments, the detectable moiety is radiolabeled glucose. Inembodiments, the detectable moiety is radiolabeled water. Inembodiments, the detectable moiety is radiolabeled ammonia. Inembodiments, the detectable moiety is a biocolloid. In embodiments, thedetectable moiety is a microbubble (e.g. including a microbubble shellincluding albumin, galactose, lipid, and/or polymers; microbubble gascore including air, heavy gas(es), perfluorcarbon, nitrogen,octafluoropropane, perflexane lipid microsphere, or perflutren). Inembodiments, the detectable moiety is an iodinated contrast agent (e.g.iohexol, iodixanol, ioversol, iopamidol, ioxilan, iopromide,diatrizoate, metrizoate, or ioxaglate). In embodiments, the detectablemoiety is barium sulfate. In embodiments, the detectable moiety isthorium dioxide. In embodiments, the detectable moiety is gold. Inembodiments, the detectable moiety is a gold nanoparticle. Inembodiments, the detectable moiety is a gold nanoparticle aggregate. Inembodiments, the detectable moiety is a fluorophore. In embodiments, thedetectable moiety is a two-photon fluorophore. In embodiments, thedetectable moiety is a hapten. In embodiments, the detectable moiety isa protein. In embodiments, the detectable moiety is an entity which canbe made detectable. In embodiments, the heterologous polypeptide is anantigenic tag (e.g., FLAG, polyhistidine, hemagglutinin (HA),glutathione-S-transferase (GST), or maltose-binding protein (MBP)) foruse in purifying the antibodies. In embodiments, the heterologouspolypeptide is a diagnostic or detectable marker, for example,luciferase, green fluorescent protein (GFP), or chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT).

In some embodiments, the conjugates described herein are created bylinkage of two independently produced polypeptide fragments, e.g., anantibody, or antigen-binding fragment thereof (e.g., a Fab fragment ofan anti-C3d antibody, or antigen-binding fragment thereof) and acomplement modulator polypeptide (e.g., a soluble form of CD59) ordetectable moiety. Two proteins (e.g., a fusion protein described hereinand a heterologous moiety or the two constituent parts of a conjugate)can, in some embodiments, be chemically cross-linked using any of anumber of known chemical cross linkers. Examples of such cross linkersare those which link two amino acid residues via a linkage that includesa “hindered” disulfide bond. In these linkages, a disulfide bond withinthe cross-linking unit is protected (by hindering groups on either sideof the disulfide bond) from reduction by the action, for example, ofreduced glutathione or the enzyme disulfide reductase. One suitablereagent, 4-succinimidyloxycarbonyl-α-methyl-α (2-pyridyldithio) toluene(SMPT), forms such a linkage between two proteins utilizing a terminallysine on one of the proteins and a terminal cysteine on the other.Heterobifunctional reagents that cross-link by a different couplingmoiety on each protein can also be used. Other useful cross-linkersinclude, without limitation, reagents which link two amino groups (e.g.,N-5-azido-2-nitrobenzoyloxysuccinimide), two sulfhydryl groups (e.g.,1,4-bis-maleimidobutane), an amino group and a sulfhydryl group (e.g.,m-maleimidobenzoyl-N-hydroxysuccinimide ester), an amino group and acarboxyl group (e.g., 4-[p-azidosalicylamido]butylamine), and an aminogroup and a guanidinium group that is present in the side chain ofarginine (e.g., p-azidophenyl glyoxal monohydrate). In some embodiments,one or more linkers as described herein may connect an antibody orantigen binding fragment thereof (e.g. anti-C3d antibody, anti-C3dgantibody, anti-iC3b antibody, or antigen binding fragment thereof, to adetectable moiety as described herein.

In some embodiments, a conjugate described herein can contain aheterologous moiety which is chemically linked to the protein (e.g.antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof). For example, in someembodiments, a radioactive label can be directly conjugated to the aminoacid backbone of the protein (e.g. antibody or antigen-binding fragmentthereof) (e.g., for use of the labeled fusion protein for in vivoimaging studies).

In some embodiments, the proteins can be modified, e.g., with a moietythat improves the stabilization and/or retention of the antibodies incirculation, e.g., in blood, serum, or other tissues. For example, aprotein described herein can be PEGylated as described in, e.g., Lee etal. (1999) Bioconjug Chem 10(6): 973-8; Kinstler et al. (2002) AdvancedDrug Deliveries Reviews 54:477-485; and Roberts et al. (2002) AdvancedDrug Delivery Reviews 54:459-476. The stabilization moiety can improvethe stability, or retention of, the polypeptide by at least 1.5 (e.g.,at least 2, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, or 50 or more) fold.

In some embodiments, the proteins described herein can be glycosylated.In some embodiments, a protein described herein can be subjected toenzymatic or chemical treatment, or produced from a cell, such that theantibody has reduced or absent glycosylation. Methods for producingpolypeptides with reduced glycosylation are known in the art anddescribed in, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 6,933,368; Wright et al. (1991) EMBO J10(10):2717-2723; and Co et al. (1993) Mol Immunol 30:1361.

In a first aspect is provided an antibody conjugate including anantibody, or antigen binding fragment thereof, and a detectable moiety.

In some embodiments, the antibody, or antigen binding fragment thereof,is selected from the group consisting of any of the antibodies orantigen binding fragments described herein (e.g. including aspects,embodiments, antibody compositions and uses section above, examples,tables, figures, claims). In some embodiments, the detectable moiety isselected from the group consisting of any of the detectable moieties orlabels described herein (e.g. including aspects, embodiments, detectablemoieties section above, examples, tables, figures, claims). Inembodiments, the antibody, or antigen binding fragment thereof, includesat least one CDR described herein. In embodiments, the antibody, orantigen binding fragment thereof, includes six CDRs described herein. Inembodiments, the antibody, or antigen binding fragment thereof, includesan amino acid sequence encoded by a nucleic acid described herein. Inembodiments, the antibody, or antigen binding fragment thereof, includesan amino acid sequence described herein. In embodiments, the antibodyconjugate includes an amino acid sequence encoded by a nucleic aciddescribed herein. In embodiments, the antibody conjugate includes anamino acid sequence described herein. In embodiments, the antibodyconjugate includes a linker joining the antibody, or antigen-bindingfragment thereof, and the detectable moiety. In embodiments, theantibody conjugate does not includes a linker joining the antibody, orantigen-binding fragment thereof, and the detectable moiety. Inembodiments of the antibody conjugate, the antibody, or antigen-bindingfragment thereof, and the detectable moiety are joined by a covalentbond. In embodiments, the linker is a linker described herein.

In some embodiments, the antibody, or an antigen-binding fragmentthereof, is selected from the group consisting of: a polyclonal antibodya monoclonal antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof, chimerized orchimeric antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof, humanizedantibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof, deimmunized human antibodyor antigen-binding fragment thereof, fully human antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof, a bispecific antibody or antibodyfragment, a monovalent antibody or antibody fragment, single chainantibody, single chain Fv fragment (scFv), Fv, Fd fragment, Fabfragment, Fab′ fragment, F(ab′)₂ fragment, diabody or antigen-bindingfragment thereof, minibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof, triabodyor antigen-binding fragment thereof, domain antibody or antigen-bindingfragment thereof, camelid antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof,dromedary antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof, CDR-graftedantibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof, synthetic antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof, semi-synthetic antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof, phage-displayed antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof, and antibody, or antigen-bindingfragment thereof, identified with a repetitive backbone array (e.g.repetitive antigen display).

In some embodiments, the antibody, or antigen-binding fragment thereof,portion of the antibody conjugate includes an anti-C3d antibody oranti-C3dg antibody or anti-iC3b antibody, or antigen-binding fragmentthereof, including any of the anti-C3d/C3dg antibodies orantigen-binding fragments thereof described herein, anti-C3d antibodiesor antigen-binding fragments thereof described herein, anti-C3dgantibodies or antigen-binding fragments thereof described herein, oranti-iC3b antibodies or antigen-binding fragments thereof describedherein. An “anti-C3d antibody-conjugate” or “anti-C3d antibodyconjugate” is a conjugate or conjugate molecule (e.g. an antibodyconjugate or antibody conjugate molecule) wherein the binding portion(e.g. antibody, or antigen-binding fragment thereof, of an antibodyconjugate) is an anti-C3d antibody or anti-C3dg antibody or anti-iC3bantibody, or antigen-binding fragment thereof of any of theseantibodies. In some embodiments, the anti-C3d antibody conjugateincludes an antibody, or antigen binding fragment thereof, selected fromthe group consisting of any of the antibodies or antigen bindingfragments described herein (e.g. including aspects, embodiments,antibody compositions and uses section above, examples, tables, figures,claims). In some embodiments, the anti-C3d antibody conjugate includes adetectable moiety selected from the group consisting of any of thedetectable moieties or labels described herein (e.g. including aspects,embodiments, detectable moieties section above, examples, tables,figures, claims). In embodiments, the anti-C3d antibody-conjugateincludes an antibody, or antigen binding fragment thereof, including atleast one CDR described herein. In embodiments, the anti-C3dantibody-conjugate includes an antibody, or antigen binding fragmentthereof, including six CDRs described herein. In embodiments, theanti-C3d antibody-conjugate includes an antibody, or antigen bindingfragment thereof, including an amino acid sequence encoded by a nucleicacid described herein. In embodiments, the anti-C3d antibody-conjugateincludes an antibody, or antigen binding fragment thereof, including anamino acid sequence described herein. In embodiments, the anti-C3dantibody-conjugate includes an amino acid sequence encoded by a nucleicacid described herein. In embodiments, the anti-C3d antibody-conjugateincludes an amino acid sequence described herein. In embodiments, theanti-C3d antibody conjugate includes a linker joining the bindingportion (e.g. an anti-C3d antibody or anti-C3dg antibody or anti-iC3bantibody, or antigen-binding fragment thereof of any of theseantibodies) and the detectable moiety. In embodiments, the anti-C3dantibody conjugate does not include a linker joining the binding portion(e.g. an anti-C3d antibody or anti-C3dg antibody or anti-iC3b antibody,or antigen-binding fragment thereof of any of these antibodies) and thedetectable moiety. In embodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate,the binding portion (e.g. an anti-C3d antibody or anti-C3dg antibody oranti-iC3b antibody, or antigen-binding fragment thereof of any of theseantibodies) and the detectable moiety are joined by a covalent bond. Inembodiments, the linker is a linker described herein.

In some embodiments, the complement diagnostic portion is a compound,composition, or protein. In some embodiments, the complement diagnosticportion is any label or detectable moiety described herein. In someembodiments, the C3d binding portion (e.g. anti-C3d portion) binds C3d.In some embodiments, the C3d binding portion (e.g. anti-C3d portion)binds C3dg. In some embodiments, the C3d binding portion (e.g. anti-C3dportion) binds iC3b. In some embodiments, the C3d binding portion (e.g.anti-C3d portion) binds C3d and C3dg. In some embodiments, the C3dbinding portion (e.g. anti-C3d portion) binds C3d, C3dg, and iC3b.

In some embodiments, an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereofdescribed herein and including all or a portion of an amino acidsequence selected from SEQ ID NO: 12-19, 22-29, and 34-37 or expressedfrom a nucleic acid sequence including all or a portion of a sequenceselected from SEQ ID NO: 20, 21, 30, 31, and 33 (including any of theantibodies or antigen-binding fragments thereof described herein) is ananti-C3d antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof, anti-C3dgantibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof, anti-C3d/C3dg antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof, anti-iC3b antibody or antigen-bindingfragment thereof, antibody or antigen-binding fragment described herein,antibody described herein or antigen-binding fragment thereof, fragmentdescribed herein, antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof providedby the disclosure, antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof that thedisclosures comprises, anti-C3d antibody or anti-C3dg antibody oranti-iC3b antibody, antigen-binding fragment thereof provided by thepresent disclosure, antibody or fragment thereof, antibody which binds abinding partner selected from the group consisting of C3dg and C3d andiC3b or fragments of such antibody which retain the ability to bind toits respective binding partner that is a suitable targeting moiety,antibody of the present invention or fragment thereof which retain theability to bind to their respective binding partner and are suitabletargeting moieties, isolated antibody or antigen-binding fragmentthereof, as these terms are used herein, or equivalent terms used hereinto describe an antibody or antigen-binding fragment of the invention(e.g. as isolated compositions, included in a conjugate, included in anantibody conjugate).

SEQ ID NO: 12-21 are amino acid or nucleic acid sequences, asappropriate, of the mouse antibody 3d8b. SEQ ID NO: 22-31 are amino acidor nucleic acid sequences, as appropriate, of the mouse antibody 3d29.SEQ ID NO: 33-37 are amino acid or nucleic acid sequences, asappropriate, of the mouse antibody 3d16. SEQ ID NO: 32 is the amino acidsequence of a 3d scFv Crry fusion protein (e.g. a construct).

In some embodiments, a pharmaceutical composition includes an antibodyor antigen-binding fragment thereof described herein and apharmaceutically-acceptable excipient. In some embodiments, the antibodydescribed herein is a monoclonal antibody. In some embodiments, theantibody described herein is the mAb 3d8b, produced by hybridoma cellline 3d-8b/2 (ATCC Deposit PTA-10999). In some embodiments, the antibodydescribed herein is mAb 3d9a, produced by hybridoma cell line 3d-9a/25(ATCC Deposit PTA-10998). In some embodiments, the antibody describedherein is mAb 3d29, produced by hybridoma cell line 3d-29/5/2 (ATCCDeposit PTA-11000). In some embodiments, the antibody or antigen-bindingfragment thereof described in the present disclosure includes, but isnot limited to, any engineered or recombinant antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof originating from mAb 3d8b, 3d9a, 3d29,or other mAb described in this disclosure, which can be easily screenedor produced by standard methods well known in the art. Generally, allthese antibodies or fragments originating from mAbs in this disclosuremay be designed, screened, produced and/or tested to modify, withoutbeing limiting, their binding affinity, avidity, or cross-speciesactivity to the C3d/C3dg protein and/or iC3b protein, selectivity overC3 or other C3 fragments, or their expression pattern and solubility,stability, half-life, cross-reactivity to other proteins/targets, orother inherent activities or characteristics of these antibodies orfragments, such as the effector activity.

Described herein is a hybridoma cell selected from the group consistingof: 3d-8b/2 (ATCC Deposit PTA-10999), 3d-9a/25 (ATCC Deposit number:PTA-10998), 3d-29/5/2 (ATCC Deposit number: PTA-11000), 3d-11/14 (ATCCDeposit number: PTA-11011), 3d-31/A6/9 (ATCC Deposit number: PTA-11027),3d-3/28/4 (ATCC Deposit number: PTA-11025), 3d-15A9 (ATCC Depositnumber: PTA-11012), 3d-10/14/1 (ATCC Deposit number: PTA-11010), and3d-16/3/3 (ATCC Deposit number: PTA-11026).

In some embodiments, an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereofdescribed herein is produced by one of the above-listed hybridoma cells.In some embodiments, an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereofdescribed herein is a humanized, primatized, or chimerized antibodyincluding the set of six (6) CDRs of any of the antibodies produced byany of the above-listed hybridomas.

In some embodiments, the present disclosure provides an isolated nucleicacid molecule encoding the antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereofdescribed in this disclosure. In some embodiments, the isolated nucleicacid molecule includes a nucleic acid sequence at least 60% (e.g. 60,61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78,79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96,97, 98, 99, or 100%) identical to SEQ ID NO:20 or SEQ ID NO:30 over acontinuous nucleic acid sequence of at least 20 nucleotides (e.g. 20,21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38,39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 75, 100, 125, 150nucleotides or over all of SEQ ID NO: 20 or SEQ ID NO:30 respectively).In some embodiments, the isolated nucleic acid molecule includes anucleic acid sequence at least 60% (e.g. 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67,68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85,86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, or 100%)identical to SEQ ID NO:21 or SEQ ID NO:31 or SEQ ID NO:33, over acontinuous nucleic acid sequence of at least 20 nucleotides (e.g. 20,21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38,39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 75, 100, 125, 150nucleotides or over all of SEQ ID NO: 21 or SEQ ID NO:31 or SEQ ID NO:33respectively). In some embodiments, the isolated nucleic acid moleculeincludes a nucleic acid sequence that hybridizes to the nucleic acidconsisting of SEQ ID NO:20 or SEQ ID NO:30 under moderately stringenthybridization conditions. In some embodiments, the nucleic acid sequencehybridizes to the nucleic acid consisting of SEQ ID NO:20 or SEQ IDNO:30 under stringent hybridization conditions. In some embodiments, theisolated nucleic acid molecule includes a nucleic acid sequence thathybridizes to the nucleic acid consisting of SEQ ID NO:21 or SEQ IDNO:31 or SEQ ID NO:33 under moderately stringent hybridizationconditions. In some embodiments, the nucleic acid sequence hybridizes tothe nucleic acid consisting of SEQ ID NO:21 or SEQ ID NO:31 or SEQ IDNO:33 under stringent hybridization conditions.

In some embodiments, is provided a nucleic acid encoding a CDR having anamino acid sequence identical to SEQ ID NO:14, SEQ ID NO:15, SEQ IDNO:16, SEQ ID NO:17, SEQ ID NO:18, SEQ ID NO:19, SEQ ID NO:24, SEQ IDNO:25, SEQ ID NO:26, SEQ ID NO:27, SEQ ID NO:28, SEQ ID NO:29, SEQ IDNO:35, SEQ ID NO:36, or SEQ ID NO:37. In some embodiments, is provided anucleic acid encoding a CDR having an amino acid sequence having threeor less (three, two, one, or zero) amino acid mutations when compared toSEQ ID NO:14, SEQ ID NO:15, SEQ ID NO:16, SEQ ID NO:17, SEQ ID NO:18,SEQ ID NO:19, SEQ ID NO:24, SEQ ID NO:25, SEQ ID NO:26, SEQ ID NO:27,SEQ ID NO:28, SEQ ID NO:29, SEQ ID NO:35, SEQ ID NO:36, or SEQ ID NO:37.In some embodiments, the amino acid mutations are conservative andnon-conservative. In some embodiments, the amino acid mutations areconservative. In some embodiments, the amino acid mutations arenon-conservative.

In some embodiments, is provided a nucleic acid encoding a CDR having anamino acid sequence identical to SEQ ID NO:14, SEQ ID NO:15, SEQ IDNO:16, SEQ ID NO:17, SEQ ID NO:18, SEQ ID NO:19, SEQ ID NO:24, SEQ IDNO:25, SEQ ID NO:26, SEQ ID NO:27, SEQ ID NO:28, or SEQ ID NO:29. Insome embodiments, is provided a nucleic acid encoding a CDR having anamino acid sequence having three or less (three, two, one, or zero)amino acid mutations when compared to SEQ ID NO:14, SEQ ID NO:15, SEQ IDNO:16, SEQ ID NO:17, SEQ ID NO:18, SEQ ID NO:19, SEQ ID NO:24, SEQ IDNO:25, SEQ ID NO:26, SEQ ID NO:27, SEQ ID NO:28, or SEQ ID NO:29. Insome embodiments, the amino acid mutations are conservative andnon-conservative. In some embodiments, the amino acid mutations areconservative. In some embodiments, the amino acid mutations arenon-conservative.

In some embodiments, is provided a nucleic acid encoding a light chainvariable region CDR having an amino acid sequence identical to SEQ IDNO:14, SEQ ID NO:15, SEQ ID NO:16, SEQ ID NO:24, SEQ ID NO:25, or SEQ IDNO:26. In some embodiments, is provided a nucleic acid encoding a alight chain variable region CDR having an amino acid sequence havingthree or less (three, two, one, or zero) amino acid mutations whencompared to SEQ ID NO:14, SEQ ID NO:15, SEQ ID NO:16, SEQ ID NO:24, SEQID NO:25, or SEQ ID NO:26. In some embodiments, the amino acid mutationsare conservative and non-conservative. In some embodiments, the aminoacid mutations are conservative. In some embodiments, the amino acidmutations are non-conservative.

In some embodiments, is provided a nucleic acid encoding a heavy chainvariable region CDR having an amino acid sequence identical to SEQ IDNO:17, SEQ ID NO:18, SEQ ID NO:19, SEQ ID NO:27, SEQ ID NO:28, SEQ IDNO:29, SEQ ID NO:35, SEQ ID NO:36, or SEQ ID NO:37. In some embodiments,is provided a nucleic acid encoding a heavy chain variable region CDRhaving an amino acid sequence having three or less (three, two, one, orzero) amino acid mutations when compared to SEQ ID NO:17, SEQ ID NO:18,SEQ ID NO:19, SEQ ID NO:27, SEQ ID NO:28, SEQ ID NO:29, SEQ ID NO:35,SEQ ID NO:36, or SEQ ID NO:37. In some embodiments, the amino acidmutations are conservative and non-conservative. In some embodiments,the amino acid mutations are conservative. In some embodiments, theamino acid mutations are non-conservative.

In some embodiments, is provided a nucleic acid encoding a heavy chainvariable region CDR having an amino acid sequence identical to SEQ IDNO:17, SEQ ID NO:18, SEQ ID NO:19, SEQ ID NO:27, SEQ ID NO:28, or SEQ IDNO:29. In some embodiments, is provided a nucleic acid encoding a heavychain variable region CDR having an amino acid sequence having three orless (three, two, one, or zero) amino acid mutations when compared toSEQ ID NO:17, SEQ ID NO:18, SEQ ID NO:19, SEQ ID NO:27, SEQ ID NO:28, orSEQ ID NO:29. In some embodiments, the amino acid mutations areconservative and non-conservative. In some embodiments, the amino acidmutations are conservative. In some embodiments, the amino acidmutations are non-conservative.

In another embodiment, the present disclosure provides a vectorcontaining the nucleic acid sequence of an antibody, or antigen-bindingfragment thereof, or CDR described herein. Such vector includes, but isnot limited to, a plasmid vector, a cosmid vector, a viral vector, ashuttle vector, or any vector well known in the art for expression inprokaryotic or eukaryotic cells.

In another embodiment, the present disclosure provides a cell containinga vector containing the nucleic acid sequence of an isolated nucleicacid encoding an antibody, or antigen-binding fragment thereof, or CDRdescribed herein. Such cell includes, for example, a prokaryotic cell ora eukaryotic cell.

In another embodiment, the disclosure features: (a) a nucleic acidencoding any one of the antibodies, antigen-binding fragments, or CDRsor constructs (e.g. conjugates, anti-C3d antibody-conjugates) describedherein; (b) a vector (e.g., an expression vector) including the nucleicacid; and (c) a cell (e.g., a bacterial, plant, fungal, insect, ormammalian cell) including the vector or expression vector.

In yet another embodiment, the disclosure features a method forproducing an antibody, an antigen-binding fragment of the antibody, or aCDR, or a construct (e.g. conjugates, anti-C3d antibody-conjugates)described herein. The method includes culturing the aforementioned cellunder conditions suitable to allow for expression of the antibody,fragment, or construct (e.g. conjugates, anti-C3d antibody-conjugates)by the cell. The method can optionally include purifying the antibody,fragment, or construct from the cell or from the media in which the cellis cultured.

In some embodiments, the present disclosure provides a pharmaceuticalcomposition including any of the isolated antibodies or antigen-bindingfragments thereof described in this disclosure. In some embodiments, thepresent disclosure provides a pharmaceutical composition including anucleic acid encoding an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereofdescribed in this disclosure. In some embodiments, the presentdisclosure provides a pharmaceutical composition including a vectorcontaining the nucleic acid sequence of an isolated nucleic acidencoding the antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof described inthis disclosure. In some embodiments, the present disclosure provides apharmaceutical composition including a cell containing such vectordescribed herein. In some embodiments, the present disclosure provides apharmaceutical composition including any of the constructs described inthis disclosure. In some embodiments, the present disclosure provides apharmaceutical composition including a conjugate described in thisdisclosure. In some embodiments, the present disclosure provides apharmaceutical composition including any of the antibody conjugatesdescribed in this disclosure. In some embodiments, the presentdisclosure provides a pharmaceutical composition including any of theanti-C3d antibody conjugates described in this disclosure. In someembodiments, the pharmaceutical compositions include a pharmaceuticallyacceptable excipient.

In some embodiments, the present disclosure provides a pharmaceuticalcomposition including any of the isolated antibodies or antigen-bindingfragments thereof described in this disclosure and a therapeuticallyacceptable excipient. Suitable excipients are well known in the art andrecited herein.

The present inventors have found that targeting of diagnostic agents ordetectable moieties to particular epitopes present on the C3d and/orC3dg and/or iC3b fragment of complement is surprisingly effective interms of localizing diagnostic agents such that they can exert optimaleffects at tissue or cells which are the site of complement activation.Thus, the present inventors have isolated antibodies which bind to theC3d and/or C3dg and/or iC3b fragment of complement and used them for thetargeting of diagnostic agents and detectable moieties.

In some embodiments, the disclosure features an antibody, orantigen-binding fragment thereof, that binds to an epitope in the humanC3d protein. In some embodiments, the disclosure features an antibody,or antigen-binding fragment thereof, that binds to an epitope in thehuman C3dg protein. In some embodiments, the disclosure features anantibody, or antigen-binding fragment thereof, that binds to an epitopein the human iC3b protein. For example, the anti-C3d antibody oranti-C3dg antibody or anti-iC3b antibody can bind to an epitope within,or overlapping with, an antigenic peptide fragment of a human complementcomponent C3d protein, or to an epitope in the human complementcomponent C3dg protein, or to an epitope in the human complementcomponent iC3b protein. In some embodiments, these anti-C3d antibodiesor anti-C3dg antibodies or anti-iC3b antibody are monoclonal antibodiesor antibody fragments maintaining the antigen-binding activity. In someembodiments, these monoclonal antibodies include those produced byhybridoma cells 3d-8b/2 (ATCC Deposit number: PTA-10999), 3d-9a/25 (ATCCDeposit number: PTA-10998), 3d-29/5/2 (ATCC Deposit number: PTA-11000),3d-11/14 (ATCC Deposit number: PTA-11011), 3d-31/A6/9 (ATCC Depositnumber: PTA-11027), 3d3/28/4 (ATCC Deposit number: PTA-11025), 3d-15A9(ATCC Deposit number: PTA-11012), 3d-10/14/1 (ATCC Deposit number:PTA-11010), and 3d-16/3/3 (ATCC Deposit number: PTA-11026). In someembodiments, the present disclosure provides antibodies, orantigen-binding fragments thereof, that bind to an epitope within, oroverlapping with, an epitope recognized by any one of antibodies 3d8b,3d9a, 3d29, 3d11, 3d31, 3d3, 3d15, 3d10, and 3d16. In some embodiments,these antibodies, or antigen-binding fragments thereof, which bind to anepitope within, or overlapping with, an epitope recognized by any one ofantibodies 3d8b, 3d9a, 3d29, 3d11, 3d31, 3d3, 3d15, 3d10, and 3d16, donot compete with at least one of antibodies 3d8b, 3d9a, 3d29, 3d11,3d31, 3d3, 3d15, 3d10, and 3d16 for binding to C3d or C3dg or iC3b. Insome embodiments, these antibodies, or antigen-binding fragmentsthereof, which bind to an epitope within, or overlapping with, anepitope recognized by at least one of antibodies 3d8b, 3d9a, 3d29, 3d11,3d31, 3d3, 3d15, 3d10, and 3d16, compete with at least one (e.g. 1, 2,3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9) of antibodies including 3d8b, 3d9a, 3d29, 3d11,3d31, 3d3, 3d15, 3d10, and 3d16 for binding to C3d or C3dg or iC3b. Insome embodiments, these antibodies, or antigen-binding fragmentsthereof, which bind to an epitope within, or overlapping with, anepitope recognized by any one of antibodies 3d8b, 3d9a, 3d29, 3d11,3d31, 3d3, 3d15, 3d10, and 3d16, inhibit at least one of antibodies3d8b, 3d9a, 3d29, 3d11, 3d31, 3d3, 3d15, 3d10, and 3d16 from binding toC3d or C3dg or iC3b. In some embodiments, an antibody, or antigenbinding fragment thereof, is an scFv. In some embodiments, the scFv isderived from any one of the antibodies 3d8b, 3d9a, 3d29, 3d11, 3d31,3d3, 3d15, 3d10, and 3d16 (a 3d scFv). In some embodiments the scFv is a3d8b scFv. In some embodiments, the scFv is a 3d29 scFv.

In some embodiments, the anti-C3d antibody or anti-C3dg antibody oranti-iC3b antibody, or antigen-binding fragment thereof, provided in thepresent disclosure can crossblock binding of another antibody or bindingpartner that binds to an epitope within, or overlapping with, a humancomplement component C3d or C3dg protein or iC3b protein. In someembodiments, the anti-C3d antibody or anti-C3dg antibody or anti-iC3bantibody, or antigen-binding fragment thereof, can crossblock binding ofan antibody that binds to an epitope within, or overlapping with, apeptide fragment of a human complement component C3d protein or C3dgprotein or iC3b protein.

In embodiments, are antibody-targeted nanoparticle contrast agents fornon-invasive medical or diagnostic imaging applications. In certainembodiments, the antibody-targeted nanoparticle contrast agentcompositions include USPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof. Incertain embodiments, the antibody-targeted nanoparticle contrast agentcompositions include antibody-targeted liposomes or otherantibody-targeted delivery vehicles containing Gadolinium chelate(“Gd-chelate”) molecules. Antibody-targeted nanoparticle contrast agentsor compositions and antibody targeted ultrasmall super paramagnetic ironoxide (“USPIO”) nanoparticles or aggregates are examples of antibodyconjugates.

In another embodiment, provided herein are articles of manufacture orkits containing diagnostic compositions including an effective amount ofany of the targeted diagnostic agent moieties (e.g. constructs,conjugates, anti-C3d antibody-conjugates) and instructions for their usein the methods described herein. Thus, in some embodiments, the articleof manufacture includes instructions for the use of diagnosticcompositions including an effective amount of a anti-C3dantibody-conjugate including a monoclonal antibody which binds to abinding partner selected from C3d and C3dg and iC3b, joined to adetectable moiety. The diagnostic compositions may further include oneor more pharmaceutically acceptable excipients formulated foradministration to an individual as described herein. The kit may furtherinclude means for administration, such as a syringe, inhaler or otherdevice useful for systemic administration or local administration.

In yet another embodiment, the disclosure features an article ofmanufacture including: a container including a label; and a compositionincluding any of the constructs (e.g. conjugates, anti-C3dantibody-conjugates) described herein, wherein the label indicates thatthe composition is to be administered to a human having, suspected ofhaving, or at risk for developing, a complement-associated disorder,disease, or condition. The article of manufacture can include one ormore additional agents.

In embodiments, is a diagnostic or monitoring kit including: (i) any ofthe antibodies or antigen-binding fragments thereof described herein and(ii) means for delivering the antibody or antigen-binding fragment to ahuman; or (ii) any of the constructs (e.g. conjugates, anti-C3dantibody-conjugates) described herein and (iv) means for delivering theconstruct to a human. The means can be suitable for subcutaneousdelivery of the construct (e.g. conjugates, anti-C3dantibody-conjugates) to the human. The means can be suitable forintraocular delivery of the construct (e.g. conjugates, anti-C3dantibody-conjugates) to the human. The means can be suitable forintraarticular delivery of the construct (e.g. conjugates, anti-C3dantibody-conjugates) to the human.

In some of the embodiments described herein, the compositionadministered to the individual is a pharmaceutical composition includingany of the antibody-targeted USPIO nanoparticle compositions describedherein. In some of the embodiments described herein, the compositionadministered to the individual is a pharmaceutical composition includingany of the antibody-targeted USPIO nanoparticle aggregate compositionsdescribed herein.

In some embodiments, the antibody conjugate is an anti-C3d antibodyconjugate. In some embodiments, the anti-C3d antibody conjugate includesan anti-C3d antibody, or antigen binding fragment thereof. In someembodiments, the anti-C3d antibody conjugate includes an anti-C3dgantibody, or antigen binding fragment thereof. In some embodiments, theanti-C3d antibody conjugate includes an anti-iC3b antibody, or antigenbinding fragment thereof. In embodiments, the anti-C3d antibodyconjugate includes a linker joining the binding portion (e.g. ananti-C3d antibody or anti-C3dg antibody or anti-iC3b antibody, orantigen-binding fragment thereof of any of these antibodies) and thedetectable moiety. In embodiments, the anti-C3d antibody conjugate doesnot includes a linker joining the binding portion (e.g. an anti-C3dantibody or anti-C3dg antibody or anti-iC3b antibody, or antigen-bindingfragment thereof of any of these antibodies) and the detectable moiety.In embodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, the binding portion(e.g. an anti-C3d antibody or anti-C3dg antibody or anti-iC3b antibody,or antigen-binding fragment thereof of any of these antibodies) and thedetectable moiety are joined by a covalent bond. In embodiments, thelinker is a linker described herein.

In some embodiments, the anti-C3d antibody conjugate includes anantibody or an antigen-binding fragment thereof including light chaincomplementarity determining regions (CDR) 1, 2 and 3, wherein lightchain CDR 1 is SEQ ID NO:14 including three or less amino acid mutations(e.g. 3, 2, 1, or 0) or SEQ ID NO:24 including three or less amino acidmutations (e.g. 3, 2, 1, or 0), light chain CDR 2 is SEQ ID NO:15including three or less amino acid mutations (e.g. 3, 2, 1, or 0) or SEQID NO:25 including three or less amino acid mutations (e.g. 3, 2, 1, or0) and light chain CDR 3 is SEQ ID NO:16 including three or less aminoacid mutations (e.g. 3, 2, 1, or 0) or SEQ ID NO:26 including three orless amino acid mutations (e.g. 3, 2, 1, or 0); or heavy chaincomplementarity determining regions (CDR) 1, 2 and 3, wherein heavychain CDR 1 is SEQ ID NO:17 including three or less amino acid mutations(e.g. 3, 2, 1, or 0) or SEQ ID NO:27 including three or less amino acidmutations (e.g. 3, 2, 1, or 0) or SEQ ID NO:35 including three or lessamino acid mutations (e.g. 3, 2, 1, or 0), heavy chain CDR 2 is SEQ IDNO:18 including three or less amino acid mutations (e.g. 3, 2, 1, or 0)or SEQ ID NO:28 including three or less amino acid mutations (e.g. 3, 2,1, or 0) or SEQ ID NO:36 including three or less amino acid mutations(e.g. 3, 2, 1, or 0) and heavy chain CDR 3 is SEQ ID NO:19 includingthree or less amino acid mutations (e.g. 3, 2, 1, or 0) or SEQ ID NO:29including three or less amino acid mutations (e.g. 3, 2, 1, or 0) or SEQID NO:37 including three or less amino acid mutations (e.g. 3, 2, 1, or0). In some embodiments, the mutations are non-conservative and/orconservative amino acid substitutions. In some embodiments, themutations are conservative amino acid substitutions. In someembodiments, the mutations are non-conservative amino acidsubstitutions.

In some embodiments, the anti-C3d antibody conjugate includes anantibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof including light chaincomplementarity determining regions (CDR) 1, 2 and 3, wherein lightchain CDR 1 is SEQ ID NO:14 or SEQ ID NO:24, light chain CDR 2 is SEQ IDNO:15 or SEQ ID NO:25 and light chain CDR 3 is SEQ ID NO:16 or SEQ IDNO:26; or heavy chain complementarity determining regions (CDR) 1, 2 and3, wherein heavy chain CDR 1 is SEQ ID NO:17 or SEQ ID NO:27 or SEQ IDNO:35, heavy chain CDR 2 is SEQ ID NO:18 or SEQ ID NO:28 or SEQ ID NO:36and heavy chain CDR 3 is SEQ ID NO:19 or SEQ ID NO:29 or SEQ ID NO:37.In some embodiments, the antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereofincludes light chain complementarity determining regions (CDR) 1, 2 and3, wherein light chain CDR 1 is SEQ ID NO:14 or SEQ ID NO:24, lightchain CDR 2 is SEQ ID NO:15 or SEQ ID NO:25 and light chain CDR 3 is SEQID NO:16 or SEQ ID NO:26; or heavy chain complementarity determiningregions (CDR) 1, 2 and 3, wherein heavy chain CDR 1 is SEQ ID NO:17 orSEQ ID NO:27, heavy chain CDR 2 is SEQ ID NO:18 or SEQ ID NO:28 andheavy chain CDR 3 is SEQ ID NO:19 or SEQ ID NO:29.

In some embodiments, the anti-C3d antibody conjugate comprises anantibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof includes light chaincomplementarity determining regions (CDR) 1, 2 and 3, wherein lightchain CDR 1 is SEQ ID NO:14 or SEQ ID NO:24, light chain CDR 2 is SEQ IDNO:15 or SEQ ID NO:25 and light chain CDR 3 is SEQ ID NO:16 or SEQ IDNO:26; and heavy chain complementarity determining regions (CDR) 1, 2and 3, wherein heavy chain CDR 1 is SEQ ID NO:17 or SEQ ID NO:27 or SEQID NO:35, heavy chain CDR 2 is SEQ ID NO:18 or SEQ ID NO:28 or SEQ IDNO:36 and heavy chain CDR 3 is SEQ ID NO:19 or SEQ ID NO:29 or SEQ IDNO:37. In some embodiments, the antibody or antigen-binding fragmentthereof includes light chain complementarity determining regions (CDR)1, 2 and 3, wherein light chain CDR 1 is SEQ ID NO:14 or SEQ ID NO:24,light chain CDR 2 is SEQ ID NO:15 or SEQ ID NO:25 and light chain CDR 3is SEQ ID NO:16 or SEQ ID NO:26; and heavy chain complementaritydetermining regions (CDR) 1, 2 and 3, wherein heavy chain CDR 1 is SEQID NO:17 or SEQ ID NO:27, heavy chain CDR 2 is SEQ ID NO:18 or SEQ IDNO:28 and heavy chain CDR 3 is SEQ ID NO:19 or SEQ ID NO:29.

In some embodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate the antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof, light chain CDR 1 is SEQ ID NO:14including three or less amino acid mutations (e.g. 3, 2, 1, or 0), lightchain CDR 2 is SEQ ID NO:15 including three or less amino acid mutations(e.g. 3, 2, 1, or 0), light chain CDR 3 is SEQ ID NO:16 including threeor less amino acid mutations (e.g. 3, 2, 1, or 0), heavy chain CDR 1 isSEQ ID NO:17 including three or less amino acid mutations (e.g. 3, 2, 1,or 0), heavy chain CDR 2 is SEQ ID NO:18 including three or less aminoacid mutations (e.g. 3, 2, 1, or 0), and heavy chain CDR 3 is SEQ IDNO:19 including three or less amino acid mutations (e.g. 3, 2, 1, or 0).In some embodiments of the antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof,light chain CDR 1 is SEQ ID NO:14, light chain CDR 2 is SEQ ID NO:15,light chain CDR 3 is SEQ ID NO:16, heavy chain CDR 1 is SEQ ID NO:17,heavy chain CDR 2 is SEQ ID NO:18, and heavy chain CDR 3 is SEQ IDNO:19.

In some embodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate the antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof, light chain CDR 1 is SEQ ID NO:14including three or less amino acid mutations (e.g. 3, 2, 1, or 0), lightchain CDR 2 is SEQ ID NO:15 including three or less amino acid mutations(e.g. 3, 2, 1, or 0), and light chain CDR 3 is SEQ ID NO:16 includingthree or less amino acid mutations (e.g. 3, 2, 1, or 0); or heavy chainCDR 1 is SEQ ID NO:17 including three or less amino acid mutations (e.g.3, 2, 1, or 0), heavy chain CDR 2 is SEQ ID NO:18 including three orless amino acid mutations (e.g. 3, 2, 1, or 0), and heavy chain CDR 3 isSEQ ID NO:19 including three or less amino acid mutations (e.g. 3, 2, 1,or 0). In some embodiments of the antibody or antigen-binding fragmentthereof, light chain CDR 1 is SEQ ID NO:14, light chain CDR 2 is SEQ IDNO:15, and light chain CDR 3 is SEQ ID NO:16; or heavy chain CDR 1 isSEQ ID NO:17, heavy chain CDR 2 is SEQ ID NO:18, and heavy chain CDR 3is SEQ ID NO:19.

In some embodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate the antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof, light chain CDR 1 is SEQ ID NO:24including three or less amino acid mutations (e.g. 3, 2, 1, or 0), lightchain CDR 2 is SEQ ID NO:25 including three or less amino acid mutations(e.g. 3, 2, 1, or 0), light chain CDR 3 is SEQ ID NO:26 including threeor less amino acid mutations (e.g. 3, 2, 1, or 0), heavy chain CDR 1 isSEQ ID NO:27 including three or less amino acid mutations (e.g. 3, 2, 1,or 0), heavy chain CDR 2 is SEQ ID NO:28 including three or less aminoacid mutations (e.g. 3, 2, 1, or 0), and heavy chain CDR 3 is SEQ IDNO:29 including three or less amino acid mutations (e.g. 3, 2, 1, or 0).In some embodiments of the antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof,light chain CDR 1 is SEQ ID NO:24, light chain CDR 2 is SEQ ID NO:25,light chain CDR 3 is SEQ ID NO:26, heavy chain CDR 1 is SEQ ID NO:27,heavy chain CDR 2 is SEQ ID NO:28, and heavy chain CDR 3 is SEQ IDNO:29.

In some embodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate the antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof, light chain CDR 1 is SEQ ID NO:24including three or less amino acid mutations (e.g. 3, 2, 1, or 0), lightchain CDR 2 is SEQ ID NO:25 including three or less amino acid mutations(e.g. 3, 2, 1, or 0), and light chain CDR 3 is SEQ ID NO:26 includingthree or less amino acid mutations (e.g. 3, 2, 1, or 0); or heavy chainCDR 1 is SEQ ID NO:27 including three or less amino acid mutations (e.g.3, 2, 1, or 0), heavy chain CDR 2 is SEQ ID NO:28 including three orless amino acid mutations (e.g. 3, 2, 1, or 0), and heavy chain CDR 3 isSEQ ID NO:29 including three or less amino acid mutations (e.g. 3, 2, 1,or 0). In some embodiments of the antibody or antigen-binding fragmentthereof, light chain CDR 1 is SEQ ID NO:24, light chain CDR 2 is SEQ IDNO:25, and light chain CDR 3 is SEQ ID NO:26; or heavy chain CDR 1 isSEQ ID NO:27, heavy chain CDR 2 is SEQ ID NO:28, and heavy chain CDR 3is SEQ ID NO:29. *add 35, 36, 37 with mutations and without

In some embodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate the antibody oran antigen-binding fragment thereof includes a light chain variableregion amino acid sequence at least 60% (e.g. 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65,66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83,84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, or 100%)identical to SEQ ID NO:12 or SEQ ID NO:22; or a heavy chain variableregion amino acid sequence at least 60% (e.g. 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65,66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83,84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, or 100%)identical to SEQ ID NO:13 or SEQ ID NO:23 or SEQ ID NO:34. In someembodiments, the antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof includes alight chain variable region amino acid sequence at least 60% (e.g. 60,61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78,79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96,97, 98, 99, or 100%) identical to SEQ ID NO:12 or SEQ ID NO:22; and aheavy chain variable region amino acid sequence at least 60% (e.g. 60,61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78,79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96,97, 98, 99, or 100%) identical to SEQ ID NO:13 or SEQ ID NO:23 or SEQ IDNO:34.

In some embodiments, the antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereofincludes a light chain variable region amino acid sequence at least 60%(e.g. 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75,76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93,94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, or 100%) identical to SEQ ID NO:12 or SEQ IDNO:22; or a heavy chain variable region amino acid sequence at least 60%(e.g. 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75,76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93,94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, or 100%) identical to SEQ ID NO:13 or SEQ IDNO:23. In some embodiments, the antibody or antigen-binding fragmentthereof includes a light chain variable region amino acid sequence atleast 60% (e.g. 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73,74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91,92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, or 100%) identical to SEQ ID NO:12 orSEQ ID NO:22; and a heavy chain variable region amino acid sequence atleast 60% (e.g. 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73,74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91,92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, or 100%) identical to SEQ ID NO:13 orSEQ ID NO:23.

In some embodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate the antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof includes a light chain variable regionamino acid sequence at least 60% (e.g. 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67,68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85,86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, or 100%)identical to SEQ ID NO:12. In some embodiments, the antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof includes a heavy chain variable regionamino acid sequence at least 60% (e.g. 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67,68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85,86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, or 100%)identical to SEQ ID NO:13. In some embodiments, the antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof includes a light chain variable regionamino acid sequence at least 60% (e.g. 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67,68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85,86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, or 100%)identical to SEQ ID NO:22. In some embodiments, the antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof includes a heavy chain variable regionamino acid sequence at least 60% (e.g. 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67,68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85,86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, or 100%)identical to SEQ ID NO:23. In some embodiments, the antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof includes a heavy chain variable regionamino acid sequence at least 60% (e.g. 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67,68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85,86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, or 100%)identical to SEQ ID NO:34.

In some embodiments, the antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereofincludes a light chain variable region amino acid sequence at least 60%(e.g. 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75,76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93,94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, or 100%) identical to SEQ ID NO:12; and a heavychain variable region amino acid sequence at least 60% (e.g. 60, 61, 62,63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80,81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98,99, or 100%) identical to SEQ ID NO:13.

In some embodiments, the antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereofincludes a light chain variable region amino acid sequence at least 60%(e.g. 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75,76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93,94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, or 100%) identical to SEQ ID NO:22; and a heavychain variable region amino acid sequence at least 60% (e.g. 60, 61, 62,63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80,81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98,99, or 100%) identical to SEQ ID NO:23.

In some embodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate the antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof includes a light chain variable regionamino acid sequence expressed from a nucleic acid sequence including asequence at least 60% (e.g. 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70,71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88,89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, or 100%) identical to SEQ IDNO:20 or SEQ ID NO:30 over a continuous nucleic acid sequence of atleast 20 nucleotides (e.g. 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30,31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48,49, 50, 75, 100, 125, 150 nucleotides or over all of SEQ ID NO: 20 orSEQ ID NO:30 respectively). In some embodiments, the antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof includes a light chain variable regionamino acid sequence expressed from a nucleic acid sequence including asequence at least 60% (e.g. 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70,71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88,89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, or 100%) identical to SEQ IDNO:20 over a continuous nucleic acid sequence of at least 20 nucleotides(e.g. 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35,36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 75, 100,125, 150 nucleotides or over all of SEQ ID NO: 20). In some embodiments,the antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof includes a light chainvariable region amino acid sequence expressed from a nucleic acidsequence including a sequence at least 60% (e.g. 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65,66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83,84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, or 100%)identical to SEQ ID NO:30 over a continuous nucleic acid sequence of atleast 20 nucleotides (e.g. 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30,31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48,49, 50, 75, 100, 125, 150 nucleotides or over all of SEQ ID NO: 30).

In some embodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate the antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof includes a heavy chain variable regionamino acid sequence expressed from a nucleic acid sequence including asequence at least 60% (e.g. 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70,71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88,89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, or 100%) identical to SEQ IDNO:21 or SEQ ID NO:31 or SEQ ID NO:33, over a continuous nucleic acidsequence of at least 20 nucleotides (e.g. 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26,27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44,45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 75, 100, 125, 150 nucleotides or over all of SEQID NO: 21 or SEQ ID NO:31 or SEQ ID NO:33 respectively). In someembodiments, the antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof includes aheavy chain variable region amino acid sequence expressed from a nucleicacid sequence including a sequence at least 60% (e.g. 60, 61, 62, 63,64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81,82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99,or 100%) identical to SEQ ID NO:21 over a continuous nucleic acidsequence of at least 20 nucleotides (e.g. 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26,27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44,45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 75, 100, 125, 150 nucleotides or over all of SEQID NO: 21). In some embodiments, the antibody or antigen-bindingfragment thereof includes a heavy chain variable region amino acidsequence expressed from a nucleic acid sequence including a sequence atleast 60% (e.g. 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73,74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91,92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, or 100%) identical to SEQ ID NO:31 overa continuous nucleic acid sequence of at least 20 nucleotides (e.g. 20,21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38,39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 75, 100, 125, 150nucleotides or over all of SEQ ID NO: 31). In some embodiments, theantibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof includes a heavy chainvariable region amino acid sequence expressed from a nucleic acidsequence including a sequence at least 60% (e.g. 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65,66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83,84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, or 100%)identical to SEQ ID NO:33 over a continuous nucleic acid sequence of atleast 20 nucleotides (e.g. 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30,31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48,49, 50, 75, 100, 125, 150 nucleotides or over all of SEQ ID NO: 33).

In some embodiments, the antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereofincludes a light chain variable region amino acid sequence expressedfrom a nucleic acid sequence including a sequence at least 60% (e.g. 60,61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78,79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96,97, 98, 99, or 100%) identical to SEQ ID NO:20 over a continuous nucleicacid sequence of at least 20 nucleotides (e.g. 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25,26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43,44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 75, 100, 125, 150 nucleotides or over all ofSEQ ID NO: 20) and a heavy chain variable region amino acid sequenceexpressed from a nucleic acid sequence including a sequence at least 60%(e.g. 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75,76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93,94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, or 100%) identical to SEQ ID NO:21 over acontinuous nucleic acid sequence of at least 20 nucleotides (e.g. 20,21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38,39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 75, 100, 125, 150nucleotides or over all of SEQ ID NO: 21). In some embodiments, theantibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof includes a light chainvariable region amino acid sequence expressed from a nucleic acidsequence including a sequence at least 60% (e.g. 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65,66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83,84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, or 100%)identical to SEQ ID NO:30 over a continuous nucleic acid sequence of atleast 20 nucleotides (e.g. 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30,31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48,49, 50, 75, 100, 125, 150 nucleotides or over all of SEQ ID NO: 30) anda heavy chain variable region amino acid sequence expressed from anucleic acid sequence including a sequence at least 60% (e.g. 60, 61,62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79,80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97,98, 99, or 100%) identical to SEQ ID NO:31 over a continuous nucleicacid sequence of at least 20 nucleotides (e.g. 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25,26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43,44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 75, 100, 125, 150 nucleotides or over all ofSEQ ID NO: 31).

In some embodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate the antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof includes a light chain variable regionamino acid sequence expressed from a nucleic acid sequence thathybridizes to the nucleic acid consisting of SEQ ID NO:20 or SEQ IDNO:30 under moderately stringent hybridization conditions. In someembodiments, the nucleic acid sequence hybridizes to the nucleic acidconsisting of SEQ ID NO:20 or SEQ ID NO:30 under stringent hybridizationconditions. In some embodiments, the antibody or antigen-bindingfragment thereof includes a light chain variable region amino acidsequence expressed from a nucleic acid sequence that hybridizes to thenucleic acid consisting of SEQ ID NO:20 under moderately stringenthybridization conditions. In some embodiments, the nucleic acid sequencehybridizes to the nucleic acid consisting of SEQ ID NO:20 understringent hybridization conditions. In some embodiments, the antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof includes a light chain variable regionamino acid sequence expressed from a nucleic acid sequence thathybridizes to the nucleic acid consisting of SEQ ID NO:30 undermoderately stringent hybridization conditions. In some embodiments, thenucleic acid sequence hybridizes to the nucleic acid consisting of SEQID NO:30 under stringent hybridization conditions.

In some embodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate the antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof includes a heavy chain variable regionamino acid sequence expressed from a nucleic acid sequence thathybridizes to the nucleic acid consisting of SEQ ID NO:21 or SEQ IDNO:31 or SEQ ID NO:33 under moderately stringent hybridizationconditions. In some embodiments, the nucleic acid sequence hybridizes tothe nucleic acid consisting of SEQ ID NO:21 or SEQ ID NO:31 or SEQ IDNO:33 under stringent hybridization conditions. In some embodiments, theantibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof includes a heavy chainvariable region amino acid sequence expressed from a nucleic acidsequence that hybridizes to the nucleic acid consisting of SEQ ID NO:21under moderately stringent hybridization conditions. In someembodiments, the nucleic acid sequence hybridizes to the nucleic acidconsisting of SEQ ID NO:21 under stringent hybridization conditions. Insome embodiments, the antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereofincludes a heavy chain variable region amino acid sequence expressedfrom a nucleic acid sequence that hybridizes to the nucleic acidconsisting of SEQ ID NO:31 under moderately stringent hybridizationconditions. In some embodiments, the nucleic acid sequence hybridizes tothe nucleic acid consisting of SEQ ID NO:31 under stringenthybridization conditions. In some embodiments, the antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof includes a heavy chain variable regionamino acid sequence expressed from a nucleic acid sequence thathybridizes to the nucleic acid consisting of SEQ ID NO:33 undermoderately stringent hybridization conditions. In some embodiments, thenucleic acid sequence hybridizes to the nucleic acid consisting of SEQID NO:33 under stringent hybridization conditions.

In some embodiments, the antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereofincludes a light chain variable region amino acid sequence expressedfrom a nucleic acid sequence that hybridizes to the nucleic acidconsisting of SEQ ID NO:20 under moderately stringent hybridizationconditions and a heavy chain variable region amino acid sequenceexpressed from a nucleic acid sequence that hybridizes to the nucleicacid consisting of SEQ ID NO:21 under moderately stringent hybridizationconditions. In some embodiments, the antibody or antigen-bindingfragment thereof includes a light chain variable region amino acidsequence expressed from a nucleic acid sequence that hybridizes to thenucleic acid consisting of SEQ ID NO:20 under stringent hybridizationconditions and a heavy chain variable region amino acid sequenceexpressed from a nucleic acid sequence that hybridizes to the nucleicacid consisting of SEQ ID NO:21 under stringent hybridizationconditions. In some embodiments, the antibody or antigen-bindingfragment thereof includes a light chain variable region amino acidsequence expressed from a nucleic acid sequence that hybridizes to thenucleic acid consisting of SEQ ID NO:30 under moderately stringenthybridization conditions and a heavy chain variable region amino acidsequence expressed from a nucleic acid sequence that hybridizes to thenucleic acid consisting of SEQ ID NO:31 under moderately stringenthybridization conditions. In some embodiments, the antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof includes a light chain variable regionamino acid sequence expressed from a nucleic acid sequence thathybridizes to the nucleic acid consisting of SEQ ID NO:30 understringent hybridization conditions and a heavy chain variable regionamino acid sequence expressed from a nucleic acid sequence thathybridizes to the nucleic acid consisting of SEQ ID NO:31 understringent hybridization conditions.

In some embodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate the antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof includes one or more (e.g. one, two,three, four, five, or six) CDRs encoded by the nucleic acid sequences ofSEQ ID NO:20, SEQ ID NO:21, SEQ ID NO:30, or SEQ ID NO:31, having six orless (six, five, four, three, two, one, or zero) nucleotide mutations inthe nucleic acid sequences encoding the one or more CDRs (e.g. one, two,three, four, five, or six). In some embodiment, the antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof includes one or more (e.g. one, two,three, four, five, or six) CDRs encoded by the nucleic acid sequences ofSEQ ID NO:20, SEQ ID NO:21, SEQ ID NO:30, or SEQ ID NO:31. In someembodiment, the antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof includesone or more (e.g. one, two, three, four, five, or six) CDRs encoded bythe CDR nucleic acid sequences of SEQ ID NO:20, SEQ ID NO:21, SEQ IDNO:30, or SEQ ID NO:31.

In some embodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate the antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof includes one or more (e.g. one, two, orthree) light chain variable region CDRs encoded by the nucleic acidsequences of SEQ ID NO:20 or SEQ ID NO:30, having six or less (six,five, four, three, two, one, or zero) nucleotide mutations in thenucleic acid sequences encoding the one or more CDRs (e.g. one, two, orthree). In some embodiment, the antibody or antigen-binding fragmentthereof includes one or more (e.g. one, two, or three) light chainvariable region CDRs encoded by the nucleic acid sequences of SEQ IDNO:20 or SEQ ID NO:30. In some embodiment, the antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof includes one or more (e.g. one, two, orthree) light chain variable region CDRs encoded by the CDR nucleic acidsequences of SEQ ID NO:20 or SEQ ID NO:30.

In some embodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate the antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof includes one or more (e.g. one, two, orthree) heavy chain variable region CDRs encoded by the nucleic acidsequences of SEQ ID NO:21 or SEQ ID NO:31 or SEQ ID NO:33, having six orless (six, five, four, three, two, one, or zero) nucleotide mutations inthe nucleic acid sequences encoding the one or more CDRs (e.g. one, two,or three). In some embodiment, the antibody or antigen-binding fragmentthereof includes one or more (e.g. one, two, or three) heavy chainvariable region CDRs encoded by the nucleic acid sequences of SEQ IDNO:21 or SEQ ID NO:31 or SEQ ID NO:33. In some embodiment, the antibodyor antigen-binding fragment thereof includes one or more (e.g. one, two,or three) heavy chain variable region CDRs encoded by the CDR nucleicacid sequences of SEQ ID NO:21 or SEQ ID NO:31 or SEQ ID NO:33.

In some embodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate the antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof includes one or more (e.g. one, two, orthree) heavy chain variable region CDRs encoded by the nucleic acidsequences of SEQ ID NO:21 or SEQ ID NO:31, having six or less (six,five, four, three, two, one, or zero) nucleotide mutations in thenucleic acid sequences encoding the one or more CDRs (e.g. one, two, orthree). In some embodiment, the antibody or antigen-binding fragmentthereof includes one or more (e.g. one, two, or three) heavy chainvariable region CDRs encoded by the nucleic acid sequences of SEQ IDNO:21 or SEQ ID NO:31. In some embodiment, the antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof includes one or more (e.g. one, two, orthree) heavy chain variable region CDRs encoded by the CDR nucleic acidsequences of SEQ ID NO:21 or SEQ ID NO:31.

In some embodiments, the anti-C3d antibody conjugate includes adetectable moiety and light chain complementarity determining regions(CDR) 1, 2 and 3, wherein light chain CDR 1 is SEQ ID NO:14 or SEQ IDNO:24, light chain CDR 2 is SEQ ID NO:15 or SEQ ID NO:25 and light chainCDR 3 is SEQ ID NO:16 or 26; or heavy chain complementarity determiningregions (CDR) 1, 2 and 3, wherein heavy chain CDR 1 is SEQ ID NO:17 orSEQ ID NO:27, heavy chain CDR 2 is SEQ ID NO:18 or SEQ ID NO:28 andheavy chain CDR 3 is SEQ ID NO:19 or 29. In some embodiments, theanti-C3d antibody conjugate includes a detectable moiety and light chaincomplementarity determining regions (CDR) 1, 2 and 3, wherein lightchain CDR 1 is SEQ ID NO:14 or SEQ ID NO:24, light chain CDR 2 is SEQ IDNO:15 or SEQ ID NO:25 and light chain CDR 3 is SEQ ID NO:16 or 26; andheavy chain complementarity determining regions (CDR) 1, 2 and 3,wherein heavy chain CDR 1 is SEQ ID NO:17 or SEQ ID NO:27, heavy chainCDR 2 is SEQ ID NO:18 or SEQ ID NO:28 and heavy chain CDR 3 is SEQ IDNO:19 or 29.

In some embodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, light chain CDR1 is SEQ ID NO:14, light chain CDR 2 is SEQ ID NO:15, and light chainCDR 3 is SEQ ID NO:16; or heavy chain CDR 1 is SEQ ID NO:17, heavy chainCDR 2 is SEQ ID NO:18, and heavy chain CDR 3 is SEQ ID NO:19.

In some embodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, light chain CDR1 is SEQ ID NO:24, light chain CDR 2 is SEQ ID NO:25, and light chainCDR 3 is SEQ ID NO:26; or heavy chain CDR 1 is SEQ ID NO:27, heavy chainCDR 2 is SEQ ID NO:28, and heavy chain CDR 3 is SEQ ID NO:29.

In some embodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, light chain CDR1 is SEQ ID NO:14, light chain CDR 2 is SEQ ID NO:15, light chain CDR 3is SEQ ID NO:16, heavy chain CDR 1 is SEQ ID NO:17, heavy chain CDR 2 isSEQ ID NO:18, and heavy chain CDR 3 is SEQ ID NO:19. In some embodimentsof the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, light chain CDR 1 is SEQ ID NO:24,light chain CDR 2 is SEQ ID NO:25, light chain CDR 3 is SEQ ID NO:26,heavy chain CDR 1 is SEQ ID NO:27, heavy chain CDR 2 is SEQ ID NO:28,and heavy chain CDR 3 is SEQ ID NO:29.

In some embodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, heavy chain CDR1 is SEQ ID NO:35, heavy chain CDR 2 is SEQ ID NO:36, and heavy chainCDR 3 is SEQ ID NO:37.

In some embodiments, the anti-C3d antibody conjugate includes adetectable moiety and a light chain variable region amino acid sequence90% identical to SEQ ID NO:12 or SEQ ID NO:22; or a heavy chain variableregion amino acid sequence 90% identical to SEQ ID NO:13 or SEQ IDNO:23. In some embodiments, the anti-C3d antibody conjugate includes alight chain variable region amino acid sequence 90% identical to SEQ IDNO:12 or SEQ ID NO:22; and a heavy chain variable region amino acidsequence 90% identical to SEQ ID NO:13 or SEQ ID NO:23. In someembodiments, the anti-C3d antibody conjugate includes a light chainvariable region amino acid sequence 90% identical to SEQ ID NO:12; and aheavy chain variable region amino acid sequence 90% identical to SEQ IDNO:13. In some embodiments, the anti-C3d antibody conjugate includes alight chain variable region amino acid sequence 90% identical to SEQ IDNO:22; and a heavy chain variable region amino acid sequence 90%identical to SEQ ID NO:23.

In some embodiments, the anti-C3d antibody conjugate includes adetectable moiety and a light chain variable region amino acid sequence90% identical to SEQ ID NO:12 or SEQ ID NO:22; or a heavy chain variableregion amino acid sequence 90% identical to SEQ ID NO:13 or SEQ ID NO:23or SEQ ID NO:33. In some embodiments, the anti-C3d antibody conjugateincludes a light chain variable region amino acid sequence 90% identicalto SEQ ID NO:12 or SEQ ID NO:22; and a heavy chain variable region aminoacid sequence 90% identical to SEQ ID NO:13 or SEQ ID NO:23 or SEQ IDNO:33.

In some embodiments, the anti-C3d antibody conjugate includes amonoclonal antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof, chimerized orchimeric antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof, humanizedantibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof, deimmunized human antibodyor antigen-binding fragment thereof, fully human antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof, single chain antibody, single chain Fvfragment (scFv), Fd fragment, Fab fragment, Fab′ fragment, F(ab′)2fragment, diabody or antigen-binding fragment thereof, minibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof, triabody or antigen-binding fragmentthereof, domain antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof, camelidantibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof, dromedary antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof, phage-displayed antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof, or antibody, or antigen-bindingfragment thereof, identified with a repetitive backbone array (e.g.repetitive antigen display). In some embodiments, the anti-C3d antibodyconjugate includes a humanized antibody, or an antigen-binding fragmentthereof. In some embodiments, the anti-C3d antibody conjugate includes amonoclonal antibody, or an antigen-binding fragment thereof. In someembodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, the antibody, orantigen-binding fragment thereof, preferentially binds iC3b, C3d or C3dgwith at least 10 fold greater affinity than uncleaved C3. In someembodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, the antibody, orantigen-binding fragment thereof, preferentially binds iC3b, C3d or C3dgwith at least 100 fold greater affinity than uncleaved C3.

In some embodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, the detectablemoiety is selected from the group consisting of ³²P, fluorescent dyes,electron-dense reagents, enzymes (e.g., as commonly used in an ELISA),biotin, digoxigenin, paramagnetic molecules, paramagnetic nanoparticles,ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide (“USPIO”) nanoparticles, USPIOnanoparticle aggregates, superparamagnetic iron oxide (“SPIO”)nanoparticles, SPIO nanoparticle aggregates, monochrystalline iron oxidenanoparticles, monochrystalline iron oxide, other nanoparticle contrastagents, liposomes or other delivery vehicles containing Gadoliniumchelate (“Gd-chelate”) molecules, Gadolinium, radioisotopes,radionuclides (e.g. carbon-11, nitrogen-13, oxygen-15, fluorine-18,rubidium-82), fluorodeoxyglucose (e.g. fluorine-18 labeled), any gammaray emitting radionuclides, positron-emitting radionuclide, radiolabeledglucose, radiolabeled water, radiolabeled ammonia, biocolloids,microbubbles (e.g. including microbubble shells including albumin,galactose, lipid, and/or polymers; microbubble gas core including air,heavy gas(es), perfluorcarbon, nitrogen, octafluoropropane, perflexanelipid microsphere, perflutren, etc.), iodinated contrast agents (e.g.iohexol, iodixanol, ioversol, iopamidol, ioxilan, iopromide,diatrizoate, metrizoate, ioxaglate), barium sulfate, thorium dioxide,gold, gold nanoparticles, gold nanoparticle aggregates, fluorophores,two-photon fluorophores, or haptens and proteins or other entities whichcan be made detectable, e.g., by incorporating a radiolabel into apeptide or antibody specifically reactive with a target peptide.

In some embodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, the detectablemoiety is ³²P. In some embodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate,the detectable moiety is a fluorescent dye. In some embodiments of theanti-C3d antibody conjugate, the detectable moiety is an electron-densereagents. In some embodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, thedetectable moiety is an enzyme (e.g., as commonly used in an ELISA). Insome embodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, the detectablemoiety is biotin. In some embodiments of the anti-C3d antibodyconjugate, the detectable moiety is digoxigenin. In some embodiments ofthe anti-C3d antibody conjugate, the detectable moiety is a paramagneticmolecule. In some embodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, thedetectable moiety is a paramagnetic nanoparticle. In some embodiments ofthe anti-C3d antibody conjugate, the detectable moiety is an ultrasmallsuperparamagnetic iron oxide (“USPIO”) nanoparticle. In some embodimentsof the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, the detectable moiety is a USPIOnanoparticle aggregate. In some embodiments of the anti-C3d antibodyconjugate, the detectable moiety is a superparamagnetic iron oxide(“SPIO”) nanoparticle. In some embodiments of the anti-C3d antibodyconjugate, the detectable moiety is an SPIO nanoparticle aggregate. Insome embodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, the detectablemoiety is a monochrystalline iron oxide nanoparticle. In someembodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, the detectable moiety isa monochrystalline iron oxide. In some embodiments of the anti-C3dantibody conjugate, the detectable moiety is another nanoparticlecontrast agent. In some embodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate,the detectable moiety is a liposome or other delivery vehicle containingGadolinium chelate (“Gd-chelate”) molecules. In some embodiments of theanti-C3d antibody conjugate, the detectable moiety is Gadolinium. Insome embodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, the detectablemoiety is a radioisotope. In some embodiments of the anti-C3d antibodyconjugate, the detectable moiety is a radionuclide (e.g. carbon-11,nitrogen-13, oxygen-15, fluorine-18, or rubidium-82). In someembodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, the detectable moiety isfluorodeoxyglucose (e.g. fluorine-18 labeled). In some embodiments ofthe anti-C3d antibody conjugate, the detectable moiety is any gamma rayemitting radionuclide. In some embodiments of the anti-C3d antibodyconjugate, the detectable moiety is a positron-emitting radionuclide. Insome embodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, the detectablemoiety is radiolabeled glucose. In some embodiments of the anti-C3dantibody conjugate, the detectable moiety is radiolabeled water. In someembodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, the detectable moiety isradiolabeled ammonia. In some embodiments of the anti-C3d antibodyconjugate, the detectable moiety is a biocolloid. In some embodiments ofthe anti-C3d antibody conjugate, the detectable moiety is a microbubble(e.g. including microbubble shells including albumin, galactose, lipid,and/or polymers; microbubble gas core including air, heavy gas(es),perfluorcarbon, nitrogen, octafluoropropane, perflexane lipidmicrosphere, perflutren, etc.). In some embodiments of the anti-C3dantibody conjugate, the detectable moiety is an iodinated contrast agent(e.g. iohexol, iodixanol, ioversol, iopamidol, ioxilan, iopromide,diatrizoate, metrizoate, ioxaglate). In some embodiments of the anti-C3dantibody conjugate, the detectable moiety is barium sulfate. In someembodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, the detectable moiety isthorium dioxide. In some embodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate,the detectable moiety is gold. In some embodiments of the anti-C3dantibody conjugate, the detectable moiety is a gold nanoparticle. Insome embodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, the detectablemoiety is a gold nanoparticle aggregate. In some embodiments of theanti-C3d antibody conjugate, the detectable moiety is a fluorophore. Insome embodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, the detectablemoiety is a two-photon fluorophore. In some embodiments of the anti-C3dantibody conjugate, the detectable moiety is a hapten. In someembodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, the detectable moiety isa protein. In some embodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, thedetectable moiety is a fluorescent moiety. In some embodiments of theanti-C3d antibody conjugate, the detectable moiety is selected from thegroup consisting of fluorescein, fluorescein isothiocyanate, andfluorescein derivatives. In some embodiments of the anti-C3d antibodyconjugate, the detectable moiety is a paramagnetic moiety. In someembodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, the detectable moiety isan ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide (“USPIO”) nanoparticle oraggregate thereof. In some embodiments of the anti-C3d antibodyconjugate, the detectable moiety is an ultrasmall superparamagnetic ironoxide (“USPIO”) nanoparticle. In some embodiments of the anti-C3dantibody conjugate, the detectable moiety is an ultrasmallsuperparamagnetic iron oxide (“USPIO”) nanoparticle aggregate. In someembodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, the ultrasmallsuperparamagnetic iron oxide (“USPIO”) nanoparticle aggregate is betweenabout 10 nm and about 150 nm in diameter. In some embodiments of theanti-C3d antibody conjugate, the ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide(“USPIO”) nanoparticle aggregate is between about 65 nm and about 85 nmin diameter. In some embodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, theultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide (“USPIO”) nanoparticle aggregateis about 75 nm in diameter. In some embodiments of the anti-C3d antibodyconjugate, the ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide (“USPIO”)nanoparticle aggregate is about 150 nm in diameter. In some embodimentsof the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, the nanoparticle aggregate is coatedwith dextran, coated with an amphiphilic polymer, or encapsulated withphospholipid. In some embodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate,the phospholipid is PEGylated. In some embodiments of the anti-C3dantibody conjugate, the PEGylated phospholipid is amine-functionalizedor carboxylic acid-functionalized. In some embodiments of the anti-C3dantibody conjugate, the PEGylated, amine-functionalized phospholipid is1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine-PEG2000. In someembodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, the antibody or antigenbinding fragment thereof is conjugated to the detectable moiety throughan antibody, or antigen binding fragment, lysine amino acid. In someembodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, the antibody or antigenbinding fragment thereof is conjugated to the detectable moiety throughan antibody, or antigen binding fragment, lysine sidechain. In someembodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, the antibody or antigenbinding fragment thereof is conjugated to the detectable moiety throughan antibody, or antigen binding fragment, cysteine, glutamate,aspartate, or arginine amino acid. In some embodiments of the anti-C3dantibody conjugate, the antibody or antigen binding fragment thereof isconjugated to the detectable moiety through an antibody, or antigenbinding fragment, cysteine, glutamate, aspartate, or arginine sidechain.In some embodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, the antibody orantigen binding fragment thereof is conjugated to the detectable moietythrough a 4-succinimidyloxycarbonyl-α-methyl-α (2-pyridyldithio) toluene(SMPT), N-5-azido-2-nitrobenzoyloxysuccinimide, 1,4-bis-maleimidobutane,m-maleimidobenzoyl-N-hydroxysuccinimide ester,4-[p-azidosalicylamido]butylamine, or p-azidophenyl glyoxal monohydrate.In some embodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, the antibody orantigen binding fragment thereof is connected to the detectable moietyby a reaction including a thiolated antibody or antigen binding fragmentthereof and maleoyl-activated NH2-SPIO. In some embodiments of theanti-C3d antibody conjugate, the antibody or antigen binding fragmentthereof is connected to the detectable moiety by a reaction including anEDC/NHS activated antibody or antigen binding fragment thereof and anNH2-SPIO, forming an amide bond. In some embodiments of the anti-C3dantibody conjugate, the antibody or antigen binding fragment thereof isconnected to the detectable moiety by a reaction including an EDC/NHSactivated COOH-SPIO or other activated COOH-detectable moiety and anamine on the antibody or antigen binding fragment thereof, forming anamide bond.

In embodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, the USPIOnanoparticles or aggregates thereof are between about 1 nm and about1000 nm in diameter. In embodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate,the USPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof are between about 5 nm andabout 500 nm in diameter. In embodiments of the anti-C3d antibodyconjugate, the USPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof are betweenabout 10 nm and about 100 nm in diameter. In embodiments of the anti-C3dantibody conjugate, the USPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof arebetween about 50 nm and about 150 nm in diameter. In embodiments of theanti-C3d antibody conjugate, the USPIO nanoparticles or aggregatesthereof are between about 65 nm and about 85 nm in diameter. Inembodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, the USPIO nanoparticlesor aggregates thereof are about 75 nm in diameter. In embodiments of theanti-C3d antibody conjugate, the USPIO nanoparticles or aggregatesthereof are about 150 nm in diameter. In embodiments of the anti-C3dantibody conjugate, the USPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof arebetween about 1 nm and about 1000 nm in diameter and coated withamphiphilic polymer. In embodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate,the USPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof are between about 5 nm andabout 500 nm in diameter and coated with amphiphilic polymer. Inembodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, the USPIO nanoparticlesor aggregates thereof are between about 10 nm and about 100 nm indiameter and coated with amphiphilic polymer. In embodiments of theanti-C3d antibody conjugate, the USPIO nanoparticles or aggregatesthereof are between about 50 nm and about 150 nm in diameter and coatedwith amphiphilic polymer. In embodiments of the anti-C3d antibodyconjugate, the USPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof are betweenabout 65 nm and about 85 nm in diameter and coated with amphiphilicpolymer. In embodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, the USPIOnanoparticles or aggregates thereof are about 75 nm in diameter andcoated with amphiphilic polymer. In embodiments of the anti-C3d antibodyconjugate, the USPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof are about 150nm in diameter and coated with amphiphilic polymer. In embodiments ofthe anti-C3d antibody conjugate, the USPIO nanoparticles or aggregatesthereof are between about 1 nm and about 1000 nm in diameter andphospholipid-encapsulated. In embodiments of the anti-C3d antibodyconjugate, the USPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof are betweenabout 5 nm and about 500 nm in diameter and phospholipid-encapsulated.In embodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, the USPIOnanoparticles or aggregates thereof are between about 10 nm and about100 nm in diameter and phospholipid-encapsulated. In embodiments of theanti-C3d antibody conjugate, the USPIO nanoparticles or aggregatesthereof are between about 50 nm and about 150 nm in diameter andphospholipid-encapsulated. In embodiments of the anti-C3d antibodyconjugate, the USPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof are betweenabout 65 nm and about 85 nm in diameter and phospholipid-encapsulated.In embodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, the USPIOnanoparticles or aggregates thereof are about 75 nm in diameter andphospholipid-encapsulated. In embodiments of the anti-C3d antibodyconjugate, the USPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof are about 150nm in diameter and phospholipid-encapsulated.

In embodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, the USPIOnanoparticles or aggregates thereof are between about 1 nm and about1000 nm in diameter and coated with dextran. In embodiments of theanti-C3d antibody conjugate, the USPIO nanoparticles or aggregatesthereof are between about 5 nm and about 500 nm in diameter and coatedwith dextran. In embodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, theUSPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof are between about 10 nm andabout 100 nm in diameter and coated with dextran. In embodiments of theanti-C3d antibody conjugate, the USPIO nanoparticles or aggregatesthereof are between about 50 nm and about 150 nm in diameter and coatedwith dextran. In embodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, theUSPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof are between about 65 nm andabout 85 nm in diameter and coated with dextran. In embodiments of theanti-C3d antibody conjugate, the USPIO nanoparticles or aggregatesthereof are about 75 nm in diameter and coated with dextran. Inembodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, the USPIO nanoparticlesor aggregates thereof are about 150 nm in diameter and coated withdextran.

In embodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, thephospholipid-encapsulated antibody-targeted USPIO nanoparticles oraggregates thereof are between about 1 nm and about 1000 nm in diameterand include an antibody-targeting group attached to the phospholipidcoating. In embodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, thephospholipid-encapsulated antibody-targeted USPIO nanoparticles oraggregates thereof are between about 5 nm and about 500 nm in diameterand include an antibody-targeting group attached to the phospholipidcoating. In embodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, thephospholipid-encapsulated antibody-targeted USPIO nanoparticles oraggregates thereof are between about 10 nm and about 100 nm in diameterand include an antibody-targeting group attached to the phospholipidcoating. In embodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, thephospholipid-encapsulated antibody-targeted USPIO nanoparticles oraggregates thereof are between about 50 nm and about 150 nm in diameterand include an antibody-targeting group attached to the phospholipidcoating. In embodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, thephospholipid-encapsulated antibody-targeted USPIO nanoparticles oraggregates thereof are between about 65 nm and about 85 nm in diameterand include an antibody-targeting group attached to the phospholipidcoating. In embodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, thephospholipid-encapsulated antibody-targeted USPIO nanoparticles oraggregates thereof are about 75 nm in diameter and include anantibody-targeting group attached to the phospholipid coating. Inembodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, thephospholipid-encapsulated antibody-targeted USPIO nanoparticles oraggregates thereof are about 150 nm in diameter and include anantibody-targeting group attached to the phospholipid coating.

In embodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, the dextran-coatedantibody-targeted USPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof are betweenabout 1 nm and about 1000 nm in diameter and include anantibody-targeting group attached to the dextran coating. In embodimentsof the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, the dextran-coated antibody-targetedUSPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof are between about 5 nm andabout 500 nm in diameter and include an antibody-targeting groupattached to the dextran coating. In embodiments of the anti-C3d antibodyconjugate, the dextran-coated antibody-targeted USPIO nanoparticles oraggregates thereof are between about 10 nm and about 100 nm in diameterand include an antibody-targeting group attached to the dextran coating.In embodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, the dextran-coatedantibody-targeted USPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof are betweenabout 50 nm and about 150 nm in diameter and include anantibody-targeting group attached to the dextran coating. In embodimentsof the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, the dextran-coated antibody-targetedUSPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof are between about 65 nm andabout 85 nm in diameter and include an antibody-targeting group attachedto the dextran coating. In embodiments of the anti-C3d antibodyconjugate, the dextran-coated antibody-targeted USPIO nanoparticles oraggregates thereof are about 75 nm in diameter and include anantibody-targeting group attached to the dextran coating. In embodimentsof the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, the dextran-coated antibody-targetedUSPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof are about 150 nm in diameterand include an antibody-targeting group attached to the dextran coating.

In embodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, the USPIOnanoparticles or aggregates thereof are between 1 nm and 1000 nm indiameter. In embodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, the USPIOnanoparticles or aggregates thereof are between 5 nm and 500 nm indiameter. In embodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, the USPIOnanoparticles or aggregates thereof are between 10 nm and 100 nm indiameter. In embodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, the USPIOnanoparticles or aggregates thereof are between 50 nm and 150 nm indiameter. In embodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, the USPIOnanoparticles or aggregates thereof are between 65 nm and 85 nm indiameter. In embodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, the USPIOnanoparticles or aggregates thereof are 75 nm in diameter. Inembodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, the USPIO nanoparticlesor aggregates thereof are 150 nm in diameter. In embodiments of theanti-C3d antibody conjugate, the USPIO nanoparticles or aggregatesthereof are between 1 nm and 1000 nm in diameter and coated withamphiphilic polymer. In embodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate,the USPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof are between 5 nm and 500nm in diameter and coated with amphiphilic polymer. In embodiments ofthe anti-C3d antibody conjugate, the USPIO nanoparticles or aggregatesthereof are between 10 nm and 100 nm in diameter and coated withamphiphilic polymer. In embodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate,the USPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof are between 50 nm and 150nm in diameter and coated with amphiphilic polymer. In embodiments ofthe anti-C3d antibody conjugate, the USPIO nanoparticles or aggregatesthereof are between 65 nm and 85 nm in diameter and coated withamphiphilic polymer. In embodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate,the USPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof are 75 nm in diameter andcoated with amphiphilic polymer. In embodiments of the anti-C3d antibodyconjugate, the USPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof are 150 nm indiameter and coated with amphiphilic polymer. In embodiments of theanti-C3d antibody conjugate, the USPIO nanoparticles or aggregatesthereof are between 1 nm and 1000 nm in diameter andphospholipid-encapsulated. In embodiments of the anti-C3d antibodyconjugate, the USPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof are between 5nm and 500 nm in diameter and phospholipid-encapsulated. In embodimentsof the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, the USPIO nanoparticles oraggregates thereof are between 10 nm and 100 nm in diameter andphospholipid-encapsulated. In embodiments of the anti-C3d antibodyconjugate, the USPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof are between 50nm and 150 nm in diameter and phospholipid-encapsulated. In embodimentsof the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, the USPIO nanoparticles oraggregates thereof are between 65 nm and 85 nm in diameter andphospholipid-encapsulated. In embodiments of the anti-C3d antibodyconjugate, the USPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof are 75 nm indiameter and phospholipid-encapsulated. In embodiments of the anti-C3dantibody conjugate, the USPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof are150 nm in diameter and phospholipid-encapsulated.

In embodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, the USPIOnanoparticles or aggregates thereof are between 1 nm and 1000 nm indiameter and coated with dextran. In embodiments of the anti-C3dantibody conjugate, the USPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof arebetween 5 nm and 500 nm in diameter and coated with dextran. Inembodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, the USPIO nanoparticlesor aggregates thereof are between 10 nm and 100 nm in diameter andcoated with dextran. In embodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate,the USPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof are between 50 nm and 150nm in diameter and coated with dextran. In embodiments of the anti-C3dantibody conjugate, the USPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof arebetween 65 nm and 85 nm in diameter and coated with dextran. Inembodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, the USPIO nanoparticlesor aggregates thereof are 75 nm in diameter and coated with dextran. Inembodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, the USPIO nanoparticlesor aggregates thereof are 150 nm in diameter and coated with dextran.

In embodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, thephospholipid-encapsulated antibody-targeted USPIO nanoparticles oraggregates thereof are between 1 nm and 1000 nm in diameter and includean antibody-targeting group attached to the phospholipid coating. Inembodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, thephospholipid-encapsulated antibody-targeted USPIO nanoparticles oraggregates thereof are between 5 nm and 500 nm in diameter and includean antibody-targeting group attached to the phospholipid coating. Inembodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, thephospholipid-encapsulated antibody-targeted USPIO nanoparticles oraggregates thereof are between 10 nm and 100 nm in diameter and includean antibody-targeting group attached to the phospholipid coating. Inembodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, thephospholipid-encapsulated antibody-targeted USPIO nanoparticles oraggregates thereof are between 50 nm and 150 nm in diameter and includean antibody-targeting group attached to the phospholipid coating. Inembodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, thephospholipid-encapsulated antibody-targeted USPIO nanoparticles oraggregates thereof are between 65 nm and 85 nm in diameter and includean antibody-targeting group attached to the phospholipid coating. Inembodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, thephospholipid-encapsulated antibody-targeted USPIO nanoparticles oraggregates thereof are 75 nm in diameter and include anantibody-targeting group attached to the phospholipid coating. Inembodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, thephospholipid-encapsulated antibody-targeted USPIO nanoparticles oraggregates thereof are 150 nm in diameter and include anantibody-targeting group attached to the phospholipid coating.

In embodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, the dextran-coatedantibody-targeted USPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof are between1 nm and 1000 nm in diameter and include an antibody-targeting groupattached to the dextran coating. In embodiments of the anti-C3d antibodyconjugate, the dextran-coated antibody-targeted USPIO nanoparticles oraggregates thereof are between 5 nm and 500 nm in diameter and includean antibody-targeting group attached to the dextran coating. Inembodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, the dextran-coatedantibody-targeted USPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof are between10 nm and 100 nm in diameter and include an antibody-targeting groupattached to the dextran coating. In embodiments of the anti-C3d antibodyconjugate, the dextran-coated antibody-targeted USPIO nanoparticles oraggregates thereof are between 50 nm and 150 nm in diameter and includean antibody-targeting group attached to the dextran coating. Inembodiments of the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, the dextran-coatedantibody-targeted USPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof are between65 nm and 85 nm in diameter and include an antibody-targeting groupattached to the dextran coating. In embodiments of the anti-C3d antibodyconjugate, the dextran-coated antibody-targeted USPIO nanoparticles oraggregates thereof are 75 nm in diameter and include anantibody-targeting group attached to the dextran coating. In embodimentsof the anti-C3d antibody conjugate, the dextran-coated antibody-targetedUSPIO nanoparticles or aggregates thereof are 150 nm in diameter andinclude an antibody-targeting group attached to the dextran coating.

In embodiments, the USPIO has a diameter selected from the groupconsisting of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15 nm.In embodiments, the USPIO has a diameter selected from the groupconsisting of about 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, and15 nm. In embodiments, the USPIO has a diameter selected from the groupconsisting of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 nm. In embodiments, theUSPIO has a diameter selected from the group consisting of about 1, 2,3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 nm. In embodiments, the USPIO has a diameterbetween about 1 and 15 nm. In embodiments, the USPIO has a diameterbetween 1 and 15 nm. In embodiments, the USPIO has a diameter betweenabout 1 and 10 nm. In embodiments, the USPIO has a diameter between 1and 10 nm. In embodiments, any of the USPIOs described herein may bemodified as described above for USPIOs of different sizes (e.g. coatedwith an amphiphilic polymer, phospholipid encapsulated, coated withdextran, etc., or combinations thereof).

In embodiments of the construct (e.g. conjugate or conjugate molecule),the C3d binding portion may be any composition capable of binding (e.g.specifically binding) a C3d, C3dg, and/or iC3b protein (e.g. human C3d,C3dg, iC3b protein) (e.g. in any aspect or embodiment, in the antibodycompositions and uses section above, any example, table, figure, orclaim herein). In embodiments of the construct (e.g. conjugate orconjugate molecule), the complement diagnostic portion may be anydetectable agent or detectable moiety capable of being used to detectcomplement, including any detectable agent or detectable moietydescribed herein (e.g. in any aspect or embodiment, in the detectablemoieties section above, any example, table, figure, or claim herein).

Methods of Detecting Complement

In a second aspect is provided a method of detecting complement-mediatedinflammation in an individual including: (a) administering to theindividual an effective amount of an anti-C3d antibody conjugate asdescribed herein; (b) allowing the anti-C3d antibody conjugate to bindto a C3 protein fragment within the individual thereby forming ananti-C3d antibody conjugate-C3 protein fragment complex; and (c)detecting the anti-C3d antibody conjugate-C3 protein fragment complex inthe individual. In some embodiments, the C3 protein fragment is C3d orC3dg or iC3b. In embodiments, the C3 protein fragment is C3d. Inembodiments, the C3 protein fragment is C3dg. In embodiments, the C3protein fragment is iC3b. In some embodiments, the detecting includesfluorescent spectroscopy. In some embodiments, the detecting includesmagnetic resonance imaging. In some embodiments, the detecting includesfluorescent spectroscopy. In some embodiments, the detecting includesfluorescent microscopy. In some embodiments, the detecting includespositron emission tomography. In some embodiments, the detectingincludes computed tomography. In some embodiments, the detectingincludes PET/CT. In some embodiments, the detecting includes singlephoton emission computed tomography. In some embodiments, the detectingincludes SPECT/CT. In some embodiments, the detecting includesradiography. In some embodiments, the detecting includes X-ray imaging.In some embodiments, the detecting includes ultrasound. In someembodiments, the detecting includes two photon microscopy. In someembodiments, the detecting includes detecting the presence of adetectable moiety (e.g. any one of the detectable moieties describedherein). In some embodiments, the detecting includes detecting a USPIO.In some embodiments, the detecting includes detecting a USPIO aggregate.In some embodiments, the detecting includes detecting a paramagneticdetectable moiety. In some embodiments, the detecting includes detectingan iron containing detectable moiety. In some embodiments, thecomplement-mediated inflammation is associated with an ocularinflammatory disease, ocular degenerative disease, or ocular autoimmunedisease. In some embodiments, the complement-mediated inflammation isocular inflammation. In some embodiments, the ocular complement-mediatedinflammation is associated with age-related macular degeneration. Insome embodiments, the age-related macular degeneration is wetage-related macular degeneration. In some embodiments, the age-relatedmacular degeneration is dry age-related macular degeneration. In someembodiments, the complement-mediated inflammation is associated withcancer, ischemia reperfusion injury, inflammatory disorders, transplantrejection (cellular or antibody mediated), pregnancy-related diseases,adverse drug reactions, age-related macular degeneration,glomerulonephritis, or autoimmune or immune complex disorders. In someembodiments, the complement-mediated inflammation is associated withtissue damage resulting from cancer, ischemia reperfusion injury,inflammatory disorders, transplant rejection (cellular or antibodymediated), pregnancy-related diseases, adverse drug reactions,age-related macular degeneration, glomerulonephritis, or autoimmune orimmune complex disorders. In some embodiments, the tissue damageresulting from ischemia reperfusion injury is associated with a disorderselected from the group consisting of myocardial infarction, aneurysm,stroke, hemorrhagic shock, crush injury, multiple organ failure,hypovolemic shock, intestinal ischemia, spinal cord injury and traumaticbrain injury. In some embodiments, the inflammatory disorder is selectedfrom the group consisting of burns, endotoxemia, septic shock, adultrespiratory distress syndrome, cardiopulmonary bypass, hemodialysis,anaphylactic shock, asthma, angioedema, Crohn's disease, sickle cellanemia, poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis, membranous nephritis, andpancreatitis. In some embodiments, the transplant rejection ishyperacute xenograft rejection. In some embodiments, the transplantrejection is cellular mediate. In some embodiments, the transplantrejection is antibody mediated. In some embodiments, thepregnancy-related disease is selected from the group consisting of:HELLP (Hemolytic anemia, elevated liver enzymes, and low plateletcount), recurrent fetal loss, and pre-eclampsia. In some embodiments,the adverse drug reaction is selected from the group consisting of drugallergy and IL-2 induced vascular leakage syndrome. In some embodiments,the autoimmune or immune complex disorder is selected from the groupconsisting of myasthenia gravis, Alzheimer's disease, multiplesclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, systemic lupuserythematosus, lupus nephritis, IgG4 associated diseases,insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, acute disseminatedencephalomyelitis, Addison's disease, antiphospholipid antibodysyndrome, thrombotic thrombycytopenic purpura, autoimmune hepatitis,Crohn's disease, Goodpasture's syndromes, Graves' disease,Guillain-Barre syndrome, Hashimoto's disease, idiopathicthrombocytopenic purpura, pemphigus, Sjogren's syndrome, Takayasu'sarteritis, autoimmune glomerulonephritis, membranoproliferativeglomerulonephritis type II, membranous disease, paroxysmal nocturnalhemoglobinuria, age-related macular degeneration, diabetic maculopathy,uveitis, retinal degeneration disorders, diabetic nephropathy, focalsegmental glomerulosclerosis, ANCA associated vasculitis, hemolyticuremic syndrome, Shiga-toxin-associated hemolytic uremic syndrome, andatypical hemolytic uremic syndrome. In some embodiments, the autoimmuneor immune complex disorder is systemic lupus erythematosus. In someembodiments, the autoimmune or immune complex disorder is lupusnephritis. In some embodiments, the autoimmune or immune complexdisorder is rheumatoid arthritis. In some embodiments, the autoimmune orimmune complex disorder is Alzheimer's disease. In some embodiments, theautoimmune or immune complex disorder is multiple sclerosis. In someembodiments, the autoimmune or immune complex disorder isosteoarthritis. In some embodiments, the autoimmune or immune complexdisorder is age-related macular degeneration. In some embodiments, theautoimmune or immune complex disorder is diabetic maculopathy. In someembodiments, the autoimmune glomerulonephritis is selected from thegroup consisting of immunoglobulin A nephropathy ormembranoproliferative glomerularnephritis type I. In some embodiments,the individual is a mammal. In some embodiments, the mammal is a human.In some embodiments, the administering is by injection. In someembodiments, administering is parenteral, intravenous, subcutaneous,intraocular, intra-articular, or intramuscular. In some embodiments, theindividual is undergoing treatment for the complement-mediatedinflammation. In some embodiments the method of detectingcomplement-mediated inflammation is a method of monitoring the efficacyof a treatment for a complement-mediated inflammation. In someembodiments, the method of detecting complement-mediated inflammationincludes a method of treating complement-mediated inflammation byadministering a complement inhibitor. In some embodiments, the method ofdetecting complement-mediated inflammation is a companion diagnostic toa complement-mediated inflammation treatment. As used herein, the term“companion diagnostic” refers to an assay used to provide a specifictherapy for a disease or condition of an individual by stratifyingdisease status, identifying a therapeutic treatment, tailoring dosagesor administration regimens or to assess a patient's risk of a disease orcondition and identify preventative or prophylactic treatments. In someembodiments, the method of detecting includes a plurality of detectingsteps to monitor the progress of a treatment for a disease (e.g. asdisclosed herein) or complement-mediated inflammation.

In a third aspect is provided a method of detecting complementactivation in an individual including: (a) administering to theindividual an effective amount of an anti-C3d antibody conjugate asdescribed herein; (b) allowing the anti-C3d antibody conjugate to bindto a C3 protein fragment within the individual thereby forming ananti-C3d antibody conjugate-C3 protein fragment complex; and (c)detecting the anti-C3d antibody conjugate-C3 protein fragment complex inthe individual. In some embodiments, the C3 protein fragment is C3d orC3dg or iC3b. In embodiments, the C3 protein fragment is C3d. Inembodiments, the C3 protein fragment is C3dg. In embodiments, the C3protein fragment is iC3b. In some embodiments, the detecting includesfluorescent spectroscopy. In some embodiments, the detecting includesmagnetic resonance imaging. In some embodiments, the detecting includesfluorescent spectroscopy. In some embodiments, the detecting includesfluorescent microscopy. In some embodiments, the detecting includespositron emission tomography. In some embodiments, the detectingincludes computed tomography. In some embodiments, the detectingincludes PET/CT. In some embodiments, the detecting includes singlephoton emission computed tomography. In some embodiments, the detectingincludes SPECT/CT. In some embodiments, the detecting includesradiography. In some embodiments, the detecting includes X-ray imaging.In some embodiments, the detecting includes ultrasound. In someembodiments, the detecting includes two photon microscopy. In someembodiments, the detecting includes detecting the presence of adetectable moiety (e.g. any one of the detectable moieties describedherein). In some embodiments, the detecting includes detecting a USPIO.In some embodiments, the detecting includes detecting a USPIO aggregate.In some embodiments, the detecting includes detecting a paramagneticdetectable moiety. In some embodiments, the detecting includes detectingan iron containing detectable moiety. In some embodiments, thecomplement activation is ocular. In some embodiments, the ocularcomplement activation is associated with age-related maculardegeneration. In some embodiments, the age-related macular degenerationis wet age-related macular degeneration. In some embodiments, theage-related macular degeneration is dry age-related maculardegeneration. In some embodiments, the complement activation isassociated with cancer, ischemia reperfusion injury, inflammatorydisorders, transplant rejection (cellular or antibody mediated),pregnancy-related diseases, adverse drug reactions, age-related maculardegeneration, glomerulonephritis, or autoimmune or immune complexdisorders. In some embodiments, the complement activation is associatedwith tissue damage resulting from cancer, ischemia reperfusion injury,inflammatory disorders, transplant rejection (cellular or antibodymediated), pregnancy-related diseases, adverse drug reactions,age-related macular degeneration, glomerulonephritis, or autoimmune orimmune complex disorders. In some embodiments, the complement activationis associated with an ocular inflammatory disease, ocular degenerativedisease, or ocular autoimmune disease. In some embodiments, the tissuedamage resulting from ischemia reperfusion injury is associated with adisorder selected from the group consisting of myocardial infarction,aneurysm, stroke, hemorrhagic shock, crush injury, multiple organfailure, hypovolemic shock, intestinal ischemia, spinal cord injury andtraumatic brain injury. In some embodiments, the inflammatory disorderis selected from the group consisting of burns, endotoxemia, septicshock, adult respiratory distress syndrome, cardiopulmonary bypass,hemodialysis, anaphylactic shock, asthma, angioedema, Crohn's disease,sickle cell anemia, poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis, membranousnephritis, and pancreatitis. In some embodiments, the transplantrejection is hyperacute xenograft rejection. In some embodiments, thepregnancy-related disease is selected from the group consisting of:HELLP (Hemolytic anemia, elevated liver enzymes, and low plateletcount), recurrent fetal loss, and pre-eclampsia. In some embodiments,the adverse drug reaction is selected from the group consisting of drugallergy and IL-2 induced vascular leakage syndrome. In some embodiments,the autoimmune or immune complex disorder is selected from the groupconsisting of myasthenia gravis, Alzheimer's disease, multiplesclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, systemic lupuserythematosus, lupus nephritis, IgG4 associated diseases,insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, acute disseminatedencephalomyelitis, Addison's disease, antiphospholipid antibodysyndrome, thrombotic thrombycytopenic purpura, autoimmune hepatitis,Crohn's disease, Goodpasture's syndromes, Graves' disease,Guillain-Barre syndrome, Hashimoto's disease, idiopathicthrombocytopenic purpura, pemphigus, Sjogren's syndrome, Takayasu'sarteritis, autoimmune glomerulonephritis, membranoproliferativeglomerulonephritis type II, membranous disease, paroxysmal nocturnalhemoglobinuria, age-related macular degeneration, diabetic maculopathy,uveitis, retinal degeneration disorders, diabetic nephropathy, focalsegmental glomerulosclerosis, ANCA associated vasculitis, hemolyticuremic syndrome, Shiga-toxin-associated hemolytic uremic syndrome, andatypical hemolytic uremic syndrome. In some embodiments, the autoimmuneor immune complex disorder is systemic lupus erythematosus. In someembodiments, the autoimmune or immune complex disorder is lupusnephritis. In some embodiments, the autoimmune or immune complexdisorder is rheumatoid arthritis. In some embodiments, the autoimmune orimmune complex disorder is Alzheimer's disease. In some embodiments, theautoimmune or immune complex disorder is multiple sclerosis. In someembodiments, the autoimmune or immune complex disorder isosteoarthritis. In some embodiments, the autoimmune or immune complexdisorder is age-related macular degeneration. In some embodiments, theautoimmune or immune complex disorder is diabetic maculopathy. In someembodiments, the autoimmune glomerulonephritis is selected from thegroup consisting of immunoglobulin A nephropathy ormembranoproliferative glomerularnephritis type I. In some embodiments,the individual is a mammal. In some embodiments, the mammal is a human.In some embodiments, the administering is by injection. In someembodiments, administering is parenteral, intravenous, subcutaneous,intraocular, intra-articular, or intramuscular. In some embodiments, theindividual is undergoing treatment for the complement activationassociated disease. In some embodiments the method of detectingcomplement activation is a method of monitoring the efficacy of atreatment for a complement activation associated disease. In someembodiments, the method of detecting complement activation includes amethod of treating a complement activation associated disease byadministering a complement inhibitor. In some embodiment, the method ofdetecting complement activation is a companion diagnostic to a diseasetreatment. In some embodiments, the method of detecting includes aplurality of detecting steps to monitor the progress of a treatment fora disease (e.g. as disclosed herein) or disease.

In a fourth aspect is provided a method of detecting complementactivation including (a) administering to a biological sample (e.g.biopsy, tissue, blood, blood fraction, serum, cells, all optionally froma subject or patient) an effective amount of an anti-C3d antibodyconjugate as described herein; (b) allowing the anti-C3d antibodyconjugate to bind to a C3 protein fragment within the biological samplethereby forming an anti-C3d antibody conjugate-C3 protein fragmentcomplex; and (c) detecting the anti-C3d antibody conjugate-C3 proteinfragment complex in the biological sample. In some embodiments, the C3protein fragment is C3d or C3dg or iC3b. In embodiments, the C3 proteinfragment is C3d. In embodiments, the C3 protein fragment is C3dg. Inembodiments, the C3 protein fragment is iC3b. In some embodiments, thedetecting includes fluorescent spectroscopy. In some embodiments, thedetecting includes magnetic resonance imaging. In some embodiments, thedetecting includes fluorescent spectroscopy. In some embodiments, thedetecting includes fluorescent microscopy. In some embodiments, thedetecting includes positron emission tomography. In some embodiments,the detecting includes computed tomography. In some embodiments, thedetecting includes PET/CT. In some embodiments, the detecting includessingle photon emission computed tomography. In some embodiments, thedetecting includes SPECT/CT. In some embodiments, the detecting includesradiography. In some embodiments, the detecting includes X-ray imaging.In some embodiments, the detecting includes ultrasound. In someembodiments, the detecting includes two photon miscroscopy. In someembodiments, the detecting includes ELISA. In some embodiments, thedetecting includes in situ hybridization. In some embodiments, thedetecting includes immunohistochemistry. In some embodiments, thedetecting includes western blotting. In some embodiments, the detectingincludes detecting the presence of a detectable moiety (e.g. any one ofthe detectable moieties described herein). In some embodiments, thedetecting includes detecting a USPIO. In some embodiments, the detectingincludes detecting a USPIO aggregate. In some embodiments, the detectingincludes detecting a paramagnetic detectable moiety. In someembodiments, the detecting includes detecting an iron containingdetectable moiety. In some embodiments, the method of detectingcomplement activation is a companion diagnostic and optionally combinedwith any of the methods of detecting complement in an individualdescribed herein (e.g. complement activation or complement-mediatedinflammation). In embodiments, the method of detecting complementactivation is conducted using a tissue sample. In embodiments, themethod of detecting complement activation is conducted using a tissuebiopsy.

ADDITIONAL EMBODIMENTS

1. An isolated antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof specificallybinding to a mammalian complement component C3d or C3dg or iC3b protein,wherein the antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof is selectedfrom the group consisting of:

a. an isolated anti-C3d antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof,wherein said antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof has a bindingaffinity to C3d of 1.1 nM or better;b. an isolated anti-C3d antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof orisolated anti-C3dg antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof orisolated anti-iC3b antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof, whereinsaid antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof binds to C3d or C3dgor iC3b with higher affinity than to complement proteins C3, C3a, C3b,C3c or C3f;c. an isolated anti-C3d antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof orisolated anti-C3dg antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof orisolated anti-iC3b antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof, whereinthe antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof binds to deposited C3fragments;d. an isolated anti-C3d antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof,wherein the antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof binds to C3dproteins of at least two species;e. an isolated anti-C3d antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof,wherein the antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof competes withcomplement receptor 2 (CR2) for binding to C3d;f. an isolated anti-C3d antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof orisolated anti-C3dg antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof orisolated anti-iC3b antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof, whereinthe antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof does not enhancecomplement activation;g. an isolated anti-C3d antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof orisolated anti-C3dg antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof orisolated anti-iC3b antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof, whereinthe antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof decreases host humoralimmune response;h. an isolated antibody or an antigen-binding fragment thereofcomprising light chain complementarity determining regions (CDR) 1, 2and 3, wherein light chain CDR 1 is SEQ ID NO:14 or SEQ ID NO:24, lightchain CDR 2 is SEQ ID NO:15 or SEQ ID NO:25 and light chain CDR 3 is SEQID NO:16 or 26; or heavy chain complementarity determining regions (CDR)1, 2 and 3, wherein heavy chain CDR 1 is SEQ ID NO:17 or SEQ ID NO:27,heavy chain CDR 2 is SEQ ID NO:18 or SEQ ID NO:28 and heavy chain CDR 3is SEQ ID NO:19 or 29;i. an isolated antibody or an antigen-binding fragment thereofcomprising light chain complementarity determining regions (CDR) 1, 2and 3, wherein light chain CDR 1 is SEQ ID NO:14 or SEQ ID NO:24, lightchain CDR 2 is SEQ ID NO:15 or SEQ ID NO:25 and light chain CDR 3 is SEQID NO:16 or 26; and heavy chain complementarity determining regions(CDR) 1, 2 and 3, wherein heavy chain CDR 1 is SEQ ID NO:17 or SEQ IDNO:27, heavy chain CDR 2 is SEQ ID NO:18 or SEQ ID NO:28 and heavy chainCDR 3 is SEQ ID NO:19 or 29;j. an isolated antibody or an antigen-binding fragment thereof, whereinlight chain CDR 1 is SEQ ID NO:14, light chain CDR 2 is SEQ ID NO:15,light chain CDR 3 is SEQ ID NO:16, heavy chain CDR 1 is SEQ ID NO:17,heavy chain CDR 2 is SEQ ID NO:18, and heavy chain CDR 3 is SEQ IDNO:19;k. an isolated antibody or an antigen-binding fragment thereof, whereinlight chain CDR 1 is SEQ ID NO:24, light chain CDR 2 is SEQ ID NO:25,light chain CDR 3 is SEQ ID NO:26, heavy chain CDR 1 is SEQ ID NO:27,heavy chain CDR 2 is SEQ ID NO:28, and heavy chain CDR 3 is SEQ IDNO:29;l. an isolated antibody or an antigen-binding fragment thereofcomprising a light chain variable region amino acid sequence 90%identical to SEQ ID NO:12 or SEQ ID NO:22; or a heavy chain variableregion amino acid sequence 90% identical to SEQ ID NO:13 or SEQ IDNO:23;m. an isolated antibody or an antigen-binding fragment thereofcomprising a light chain variable region amino acid sequence 90%identical to SEQ ID NO:12 or SEQ ID NO:22; and a heavy chain variableregion amino acid sequence 90% identical to SEQ ID NO:13 or SEQ IDNO:23;n. an isolated antibody or an antigen-binding fragment thereofcomprising a light chain variable region amino acid sequence 90%identical to SEQ ID NO:12; and a heavy chain variable region amino acidsequence 90% identical to SEQ ID NO:13; ando. an isolated antibody or an antigen-binding fragment thereofcomprising a light chain variable region amino acid sequence 90%identical to SEQ ID NO:22; and a heavy chain variable region amino acidsequence 90% identical to SEQ ID NO:23.

2. The isolated antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof ofembodiment 1, wherein said K_(D) is 0.5 nM or better.

3. The isolated antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof ofembodiment 1, wherein said antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereofdoes not bind to complement proteins C3, C3a, C3b, C3c or C3f.

4. The isolated antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof ofembodiment 1, wherein said antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereofbinds to deposited C3d or C3dg or iC3b with a higher affinity than itbinds to circulating intact C3, C3b, or (C3H2O).

5. The isolated antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof ofembodiment 1, wherein said mammal is a human.

6. The isolated antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof ofembodiment 1, wherein said mammal is a non-human primate selected fromthe group consisting of orangutan, chimpanzee, macaque, gorilla, lemur,or gibbon.

7. The isolated antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof ofembodiment 1(f), wherein said antibody or antigen-binding fragmentthereof reduces complement activation.

8. The isolated antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof of any oneof embodiments 1-7, wherein said antibody or antigen-binding fragmentthereof is selected from the group consisting of: a monoclonal antibodyor antibody fragment, a diabody, a chimerized or chimeric antibody orantibody fragment, a humanized antibody or antibody fragment, adeimmunized human antibody or antibody fragment, a fully human antibodyor antibody fragment, a bispecific antibody or antibody fragment, amonovalent antibody or antibody fragment, a single chain antibody, anFv, an Fd, an Fab, an Fab′, and an F(ab′)2.

9. The isolated antibody of embodiment 8, wherein said antibody is amonoclonal antibody.

10. The antibody of embodiment 9, wherein said antibody is selected fromthe group consisting of: i) 3db8 produced by hybridoma cell line 3d-8b/2(ATCC Deposit PTA-10999), ii) 3d9a produced by hybridoma cell line3d-9a/25 (ATCC Deposit PTA-10998), and iii) 3d29 produced by hybridomacell line 3d-29/5/2 (ATCC Deposit PTA-11000).

11. A hybridoma cell selected from the group consisting of: 3d-8b/2(ATCC Deposit PTA-10999), 3d-9a/25 (ATCC Deposit number: PTA-10998),3d-29/5/2 (ATCC Deposit number: PTA-11000), 3d-11/14 (ATCC Depositnumber: PTA-11011), 3d-31/A6/9 (ATCC Deposit number: PTA-11027),3d-3/28/4 (ATCC Deposit number: PTA-11025), 3d-15A9 (ATCC Depositnumber: PTA-11012), 3d-10/14/1 (ATCC Deposit number: PTA-11010), and3d-16/3/3 (ATCC Deposit number: PTA-11026).

12. An isolated antibody produced by the hybridoma of embodiment 11.

13. An isolated nucleic acid molecule comprising a nucleotide sequenceencoding the antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof of any one ofembodiments 1-10 and 12.\

14. An expression vector comprising the isolated nucleic acid moleculeof embodiment 13.

15. A cell comprising the expression vector of embodiment 14.

16. A method for producing an antibody or antigen-binding fragmentthereof, the method comprising culturing the cell of embodiment 15 underconditions suitable to allow expression of the antibody orantigen-binding fragment by the cell.

17. The method of embodiment 16, further comprising isolating theantibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof from the cell or theculture media in which the cell was cultured.

18. The isolated antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof producedby the method of embodiment 17.

19. A pharmaceutical composition comprising the isolated antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof of any one of embodiments 1-10, 12, or18 and a pharmaceutically-acceptable excipient.

20. A construct comprising:

a. C3d binding portion; and

b. detectable moiety, wherein (a) and (b) are joined.

21. The construct of embodiment 20, wherein said C3d binding portioncomprises said anti-C3d antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof ofany one of embodiments 1-10, 12, or 18.

22. The construct of embodiment 20 or 21, wherein said detectable moietycomprises 32P, fluorescent dyes, electron-dense reagents, enzymes (e.g.,as commonly used in an ELISA), biotin, digoxigenin, paramagneticmolecules, paramagnetic nanoparticles, ultrasmall superparamagnetic ironoxide (“USPIO”) nanoparticles, USPIO nanoparticle aggregates,superparamagnetic iron oxide (“SPIO”) nanoparticles, SPIO nanoparticleaggregates, monochrystalline iron oxide nanoparticles, monochrystallineiron oxide, other nanoparticle contrast agents, liposomes or otherdelivery vehicles containing Gadolinium chelate (“Gd-chelate”)molecules, Gadolinium, radioisotopes, radionuclides (e.g. carbon-11,nitrogen-13, oxygen-15, fluorine-18, rubidium-82), fluorodeoxyglucose(e.g. fluorine-18 labeled), any gamma ray emitting radionuclides,positron-emitting radionuclide, radiolabeled glucose, radiolabeledwater, radiolabeled ammonia, biocolloids, microbubbles (e.g. includingmicrobubble shells including albumin, galactose, lipid, and/or polymers;microbubble gas core including air, heavy gas(es), perfluorcarbon,nitrogen, octafluoropropane, perflexane lipid microsphere, perflutren,etc.), iodinated contrast agents (e.g. iohexol, iodixanol, ioversol,iopamidol, ioxilan, iopromide, diatrizoate, metrizoate, ioxaglate),barium sulfate, thorium dioxide, gold, gold nanoparticles, goldnanoparticle aggregates, fluorophores, two-photon fluorophores, haptens,or proteins.

23. A method of detecting complement activation in a mammal comprisingadministering to said subject the construct of any one of embodiments20-21 in an amount effective to detect complement activation in a mammal

24. A method of diagnosing or monitoring a mammal having or suspected ofhaving a disease or wherein said disease is selected from the groupconsisting of: tissue damage resulting from ischemia-reperfusion injury,an inflammatory disorder, transplant rejection, a pregnancy-relateddisease, an adverse drug reaction, and an autoimmune or immune complexdisorder, said method comprising administering to said mammal adiagnostically effective amount of the construct of any one ofembodiments 20-22.

25. The method of embodiment 24, wherein said tissue damage resultingfrom ischemia-reperfusion injury is associated with a disorder selectedfrom the group consisting of:

myocardial infarction, aneurysm, stroke, hemorrhagic shock, crushinjury, multiple organ failure, hypovolemic shock, intestinal ischemia,spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injury.

26. The method of embodiment 24, wherein said inflammatory disorder isselected from the group consisting of: burns, endotoxemia, septic shock,adult respiratory distress syndrome, cardiopulmonary bypass,hemodialysis, anaphylactic shock, asthma, angioedema, Crohn's disease,sickle cell anemia, poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis, membranousnephritis, and pancreatitis.

27. The method of embodiment 24, wherein said transplant rejection ishyperacute xenograft rejection.

28. The method of embodiment 24, wherein said pregnancy-related diseaseis selected from the group consisting of: HELLP syndrome (Hemolyticanemia, Elevated Liver enzymes and Low Platelet count), recurrent fetalloss, and pre-eclampsia.

29. The method of embodiment 24, wherein said adverse drug reaction isselected from the group consisting of: drug allergy and IL-2 inducedvascular leakage syndrome.

30. The method of embodiment 24, wherein said autoimmune or immunecomplex disorder is selected from the group consisting of: myastheniagravis, Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, neuromyelitis optica,rheumatoid arthritis, IgG4 mediated/associated disease, systemic lupuserythematosus, lupus nephritis, insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus,acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, Addison's disease,antiphospholipid antibody syndrome, autoimmune hepatitis, Crohn'sdisease, Goodpasture's syndromes, Graves' disease, Guillain-Barrésyndrome, Hashimoto's disease, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura,pemphigus, Sjögren's syndrome, Takayasu's arteritis, autoimmuneglomerulonephritis, membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis type II,paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria, age-related macular degeneration,diabetic maculopathy, uveitis, retinal degeneration disorders, diabeticnephropathy, focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, ANCA associatedvasculitis, hemolytic uremic syndrome, and atypical hemolytic uremicsyndrome.

31. The method of embodiment 30, wherein said autoimmuneglomerulonephritis is selected from the group consisting of:immunoglobulin A nephropathy and membranoproliferativeglomerulonephritis type I.

32. A method of diagnosing or monitoring a mammal having or suspected ofhaving a disease wherein said disease is selected from the groupconsisting of: a cancer, a viral infection, a bacterial infection, aparasitic infection, and a fungal infection, said method comprisingadministering to said mammal the construct of embodiment 20-22 in anamount effective to detect complement activation in said mammal

33. The method of any one of embodiments 23 to 32, wherein said mammalis a human.

34. An article of manufacture comprising:

(a) a container comprising a label; and(b) a composition comprising the construct of any one of embodiments20-22, wherein the label indicates that the composition is to beadministered to a human having, suspected of having, or at risk fordeveloping, a complement-associated disorder.

35. An anti-C3d antibody conjugate comprising a detectable moiety andlight chain complementarity determining regions (CDR) 1, 2 and 3,wherein light chain CDR 1 is SEQ ID NO:14, light chain CDR 2 is SEQ IDNO:15 and light chain CDR 3 is SEQ ID NO:16; or heavy chaincomplementarity determining regions (CDR) 1, 2 and 3, wherein heavychain CDR 1 is SEQ ID NO:17 or SEQ ID NO:27, heavy chain CDR 2 is SEQ IDNO:18 and heavy chain CDR 3 is SEQ ID NO:19 or 29.

36. The anti-C3d antibody conjugate of embodiment 35, comprising adetectable moiety and light chain complementarity determining regions(CDR) 1, 2 and 3, wherein light chain CDR 1 is SEQ ID NO:14, light chainCDR 2 is SEQ ID NO:15 and light chain CDR 3 is SEQ ID NO:16; and heavychain complementarity determining regions (CDR) 1, 2 and 3, whereinheavy chain CDR 1 is SEQ ID NO:17 or SEQ ID NO:27, heavy chain CDR 2 isSEQ ID NO:18 and heavy chain CDR 3 is SEQ ID NO:19 or 29.

37. The anti-C3d antibody conjugate of embodiment 36, wherein lightchain CDR 1 is SEQ ID NO:14, light chain CDR 2 is SEQ ID NO:15, lightchain CDR 3 is SEQ ID NO:16, heavy chain CDR 1 is SEQ ID NO:17, heavychain CDR 2 is SEQ ID NO:18, and heavy chain CDR 3 is SEQ ID NO:19.

38. The anti-C3d antibody conjugate of embodiment 36, wherein lightchain CDR 1 is SEQ ID NO:24, light chain CDR 2 is SEQ ID NO:25, lightchain CDR 3 is SEQ ID NO:26, heavy chain CDR 1 is SEQ ID NO:27, heavychain CDR 2 is SEQ ID NO:28, and heavy chain CDR 3 is SEQ ID NO:29.

39. An anti-C3d antibody conjugate comprising a detectable moiety and alight chain variable region amino acid sequence 90% identical to SEQ IDNO:12 or SEQ ID NO:22; or a heavy chain variable region amino acidsequence 90% identical to SEQ ID NO:13 or SEQ ID NO:23.

40. The anti-C3d antibody conjugate of embodiment 39 comprising a lightchain variable region amino acid sequence 90% identical to SEQ ID NO:12or SEQ ID NO:22; and a heavy chain variable region amino acid sequence90% identical to SEQ ID NO:13 or SEQ ID NO:23.

41. The anti-C3d antibody conjugate of embodiment 40 comprising a lightchain variable region amino acid sequence 90% identical to SEQ ID NO:12;and a heavy chain variable region amino acid sequence 90% identical toSEQ ID NO:13.

42. The anti-C3d antibody conjugate of embodiment 40 comprising a lightchain variable region amino acid sequence 90% identical to SEQ ID NO:22;and a heavy chain variable region amino acid sequence 90% identical toSEQ ID NO:23.

43. The anti-C3d antibody conjugate of any one of embodiments 35 to 42,comprising a monoclonal antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof,chimerized or chimeric antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof,humanized antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof, deimmunizedhuman antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof, fully human antibodyor antigen-binding fragment thereof, single chain antibody, single chainFv fragment (scFv), Fd fragment, Fab fragment, Fab′ fragment, F(ab′)₂fragment, diabody or antigen-binding fragment thereof, minibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof, triabody or antigen-binding fragmentthereof, domain antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof, camelidantibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof, dromedary antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof, or phage-displayed antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof, or antibody, or antigen-bindingfragment thereof, identified with repetitive antigen array or antigenbinding fragment thereof

44. The anti-C3d antibody conjugate of any one of embodiments 35 to 43,comprising a humanized antibody, or an antigen-binding fragment thereof.

45. The anti-C3d antibody conjugate of any one of embodiments 35 to 44,comprising a monoclonal antibody, or an antigen-binding fragmentthereof.

46. The anti-C3d antibody conjugate of any one of embodiments 35 to 45,wherein the antibody, or antigen-binding fragment thereof,preferentially binds iC3b, C3d or C3dg with at least 10 fold greateraffinity than uncleaved C3.

47. The anti-C3d antibody conjugate of any one of embodiments 35 to 46,wherein the antibody, or antigen-binding fragment thereof,preferentially binds iC3b, C3d or C3dg with at least 100 fold greateraffinity than uncleaved C3.

48. The anti-C3d antibody conjugate of any one of embodiments 35 to 47,wherein said detectable moiety is selected from the group consisting of³²P, a fluorescent dye, an electron-dense reagent, an enzyme, biotin,digoxigenin, a paramagnetic molecule, a paramagnetic nanoparticle, anultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide (“USPIO”) nanoparticle, a USPIOnanoparticle aggregate, a superparamagnetic iron oxide (“SPIO”)nanoparticle, an SPIO nanoparticle aggregate, a standardsuperparamagnetic iron oxide (“SSPIO”), an SSPIO nanoparticle aggregate,a polydisperse superparamagnetic iron oxide (“PSPIO”), a PSPIOnanoparticle aggregate, a monochrystalline SPIO, a monochrystalline SPIOaggregate, a monochrystalline iron oxide nanoparticle, amonochrystalline iron oxide, another nanoparticle contrast agent, aliposome or other delivery vehicle comprising Gadolinium chelate(“Gd-chelate”) molecules, Gadolinium, a radioisotope, a radionuclide,carbon-11, nitrogen-13, oxygen-15, fluorine-18, rubidium-82,fluorodeoxyglucose, a gamma ray emitting radionuclide, apositron-emitting radionuclide, radiolabeled glucose, radiolabeledwater, radiolabeled ammonia, a biocolloid, a microbubble, an iodinatedcontrast agent, barium sulfate, thorium dioxide, gold, a goldnanoparticle, a gold nanoparticle aggregate, a fluorophore, a two-photonfluorophore, a hapten, a protein, and a fluorescent moiety.

49. The anti-C3d antibody conjugate of embodiment 48, wherein saidfluorescent moiety is selected from the group consisting of fluorescein,fluorescein isothiocyanate, and a fluorescein derivative.

50. The anti-C3d antibody conjugate of any one of embodiments 35 to 48,wherein said detectable moiety is a paramagnetic moiety.

51. The anti-C3d antibody conjugate of embodiment 50, wherein saidparamagnetic moiety is an ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide(“USPIO”) nanoparticle or aggregate thereof

52. The anti-C3d antibody conjugate of embodiment 51, wherein saidparamagnetic moiety is an ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide(“USPIO”) nanoparticle aggregate.

53. The anti-C3d antibody conjugate of embodiment 52, wherein saidultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide (“USPIO”) nanoparticle aggregateis between about 10 nm and about 150 nm in diameter.

54. The anti-C3d antibody conjugate of embodiment 52, wherein saidultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide (“USPIO”) nanoparticle aggregateis between about 65 nm and about 85 nm in diameter.

55. The anti-C3d antibody conjugate of embodiment 52, wherein saidultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide (“USPIO”) nanoparticle aggregateis about 75 nm in diameter.

56. The anti-C3d antibody conjugate of embodiment 52, wherein saidultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide (“USPIO”) nanoparticle aggregateis about 150 nm in diameter.

57. The anti-C3d antibody conjugate of embodiment 52, wherein saidultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide (“USPIO”) nanoparticle aggregateis coated with dextran, coated with an amphiphilic polymer, orencapsulated with phospholipid.

58. The anti-C3d antibody conjugate of embodiment 57, wherein thephospholipid is PEGylated.

59. The anti-C3d antibody conjugate of embodiment 58, wherein thePEGylated phospholipid is amine-functionalized or carboxylicacid-functionalized.

60. The anti-C3d antibody conjugate of embodiment 59, wherein thePEGylated, amine-functionalized phospholipid is1,2-distearoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine-PEG2000.

61. The anti-C3d antibody conjugate of any one of embodiments 35 to 60,wherein the antibody, or antigen-binding fragment thereof, is conjugatedto the detectable moiety through a lysine amino acid.

62. The anti-C3d antibody conjugate of embodiment 61, wherein theantibody, or antigen-binding fragment thereof, is conjugated to thedetectable moiety through a lysine sidechain.

63. The anti-C3d antibody conjugate of any one of embodiments 35 to 60,wherein the antibody, or antigen-binding fragment thereof, is conjugatedto the detectable moiety through a cysteine, glutamate, aspartate, orarginine amino acid.

64. The anti-C3d antibody conjugate of embodiment 63, wherein theantibody, or antigen-binding fragment thereof, is conjugated to thedetectable moiety through a cysteine, glutamate, aspartate, or argininesidechain.

65. The anti-C3d antibody conjugate of any one of embodiments 35 to 60,wherein the antibody, or antigen-binding fragment thereof, is conjugatedto the detectable moiety a) through a4-succinimidyloxycarbonyl-α-methyl-α (2-pyridyldithio) toluene (SMPT),N-5-azido-2-nitrobenzoyloxysuccinimide, 1,4-bis-maleimidobutane,m-maleimidobenzoyl-N-hydroxysuccinimide ester,4-[p-azidosalicylamido]butylamine, or p-azidophenyl glyoxal monohydrate;or b) through a reaction comprising a thiolated antibody, or antigenbinding fragment thereof, and a maleoyl-activated amine of thedetectable moiety; EDC/NHS-activated antibody, or antigen bindingfragment thereof, and an amine of the detectable moiety; orEDC/NHS-activated carboxylic acid of the detectable moiety and an amineof the antibody, or antigen binding fragment thereof

66. A method of detecting complement-mediated inflammation in anindividual comprising: (a) administering to said individual an effectiveamount of an anti-C3d antibody conjugate of any one of embodiments 35 to65; (b) allowing said anti-C3d antibody conjugate to bind to a C3protein fragment within said individual thereby forming an anti-C3dantibody conjugate-C3 protein fragment complex; and (c) detecting saidanti-C3d antibody conjugate-C3 protein fragment complex in saidindividual.

67. The method of embodiment 66, wherein said C3 protein fragment is C3dor C3dg or iC3b.

68. The method of any one of embodiments 66 to 67, wherein saiddetecting comprises fluorescent spectroscopy.

69. The method of any one of embodiments 66 to 67, wherein saiddetecting comprises magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography,positron emission tomography, single photon emission computedtomography, ultrasonography, or radiography.

70. The method of any one of embodiments 66 to 69, wherein saidcomplement-mediated inflammation is ocular inflammation.

71. The method of embodiment 70, wherein said ocular complement-mediatedinflammation is associated with age-related macular degeneration.

72. The method of embodiment 71, wherein said age-related maculardegeneration is wet age-related macular degeneration.

73. The method of embodiment 71, wherein said age-related maculardegeneration is dry age-related macular degeneration.

74. The method of any one of embodiments 66 to 70, wherein saidcomplement-mediated inflammation is associated with tissue damageresulting from cancer, an ischemia reperfusion injury, an inflammatorydisorder, transplant rejection (cellular or antibody mediated), apregnancy-related disease, an adverse drug reaction, age-related maculardegeneration, glomerulonephritis, or an autoimmune or immune complexdisorder.

75. The method of embodiment 74, wherein the tissue damage resultingfrom ischemia reperfusion injury is associated with a disorder selectedfrom the group consisting of myocardial infarction, aneurysm, stroke,hemorrhagic shock, crush injury, multiple organ failure, hypovolemicshock, intestinal ischemia, spinal cord injury and traumatic braininjury.

76. The method of embodiment 74, wherein the inflammatory disorder isselected from the group consisting of burns, endotoxemia, septic shock,adult respiratory distress syndrome, cardiopulmonary bypass,hemodialysis, anaphylactic shock, asthma, angioedema, Crohn's disease,sickle cell anemia, poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis, membranousnephritis, and pancreatitis.

77. The method of embodiment 74, wherein the transplant rejection ishyperacute xenograft rejection.

78. The method of embodiment 74, wherein the pregnancy-related diseaseis selected from the group consisting of: HELLP (Hemolytic anemia,elevated liver enzymes, and low platelet count), recurrent fetal loss,and pre-eclampsia.

79. The method of embodiment 74, wherein the adverse drug reaction isselected from the group consisting of drug allergy and IL-2 inducedvascular leakage syndrome.

80. The method of embodiment 74, wherein the autoimmune or immunecomplex disorder is selected from the group consisting of myastheniagravis, Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, neuromyelitis optica,rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus,lupus nephritis, IgG4 associated diseases, insulin-dependent diabetesmellitus, acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, Addison's disease,antiphospholipid antibody syndrome, thrombotic thrombycytopenic purpura,autoimmune hepatitis, Crohn's disease, Goodpasture's syndromes, Graves'disease, Guillain-Barre syndrome, Hashimoto's disease, idiopathicthrombocytopenic purpura, pemphigus, Sjogren's syndrome, Takayasu'sarteritis, autoimmune glomerulonephritis, membranoproliferativeglomerulonephritis type II, membranous disease, paroxysmal nocturnalhemoglobinuria, age-related macular degeneration, diabetic maculopathy,uveitis, retinal degeneration disorders, diabetic nephropathy, focalsegmental glomerulosclerosis, ANCA associated vasculitis, hemolyticuremic syndrome, Shiga-toxin-associated hemolytic uremic syndrome, andatypical hemolytic uremic syndrome.

81. The method of embodiment 80, wherein the autoimmuneglomerulonephritis is selected from the group consisting ofimmunoglobulin A nephropathy or membranoproliferativeglomerularnephritis type I.

82. The method of any one of embodiments 66 to 81, wherein saidindividual is a mammal.

83. The method of embodiment 82, wherein said mammal is a human.

84. The method of any one of embodiments 66 to 83, wherein saidadministering is by injection.

85. The method of embodiment 84, wherein said injection is parenteral,intravenous, subcutaneous, intraocular, intra-articular, orintramuscular.

Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used hereinhave the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill inthe art to which this disclosure pertains. In case of conflict, thepresent document, including definitions, will control. Exemplary methodsand materials are described below, although methods and materialssimilar or equivalent to those described herein can also be used in thepractice or testing of the presently disclosed methods and compositions.All publications, patent applications, patents, and other referencesmentioned herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety.

Other features and advantages of the present disclosure, e.g.,compositions and methods for treating or preventing or detecting ormonitoring a complement-associated disorder, will be apparent from thedescription, the examples, and from the claims.

EXAMPLES Example 1

It has become increasingly apparent that covalent decoration of inflamedtissues with the complement C3 fragments iC3b, C3 dg and C3d provides aunique “flag” or “target” to which therapeutic or diagnostic agents canbe directed. Described herein are monoclonal antibodies having utilityas molecular imaging probes for the non-invasive detection oftissue-bound C3 fragments in various tissue, including the kidney andretina. Following extensive in vitro and in vivo analyses, a subset ofthe mAbs described herein were shown to possess unique characteristicsthat in aggregate prove that these mAbs can be used to identify in vivosites of complement activation. This capability enables the antibodiesto direct linked diagnostic modules to these sites. For example, theantibodies could direct contrast agents to sites of inflammation thatare then detectable by MRI, positron emission tomography (PET),ultrasound, and/or optical imaging devices. Described herein areantibodies, including nucleotide and derived protein sequences of thekey antigen combining sites. Also included are data demonstrating thatScFv generated using these sequences compete with the originallydescribed monoclonal antibody, showing their interrelationships.

During activation of the complement system the C3 protein is cleaved,and C3 activation fragments are covalently fixed to nearby tissues.Tissue-bound C3 fragments are a durable sign of this process and arecommonly used as biomarkers of tissue inflammation. These fragments havebeen exploited as addressable binding ligands for targeted therapeuticsand diagnostic agents. We have generated novel murine monoclonalantibodies to human C3d (the final C3 degradation fragment generatedduring complement activation). We screened these antibodies to determinewhether any of them bind to epitopes on C3d that are not present orexposed on intact C3. Three of the antibodies (clones 3d8b, 3d9a, and3d29) preferentially bound to the iC3b, C3dg, and C3d fragments insolution, but do not bind to intact C3 or C3b. The same three clonesalso bound to tissue-bound C3 activation fragments when injectedsystemically. Using mouse models of renal and retinal disease, weconfirmed that the antibodies accumulated at sites of C3 fragmentdeposition within the glomerulus, the renal tubulointerstitium, and theeye after systemic injection. To detect antibodies bound within the eye,we used optical imaging and observed accumulation of the antibodieswithin retinal lesions in a model of choroidal neovascularization (CNV).Our results demonstrate that imaging methods that utilize theseantibodies may provide a sensitive means of detecting and monitoringtissue inflammation.

3d scFv and 3d scFv-Complement Inhibitors Construction and Expression 3d29scFv and 3d8bscFv Purification.

Positive clones of 3dscFv CHO cells were cultured and amplified inHyperFlask cell culture vessel. Supernatant were collected and filtered,followed by loading on HisPur columns. After adjust the washing andelution condition, scFv were purified with almost 90% purity, see FIG.19.

3d8bscFv and 3d29 scFv Block Test.

3d antigen were coated on the plates (10 ng/well) 4° C. overnight.Plates were blocked for 1 hr at RT with ELISA blocking buffer. Afterwashing, a serial dilution of 3dscFv were incubated with the antigenplates 4° C. overnight. After 5 times wash, a serial dilation of 3dmA bwere incubated on the plates for 2 hrs at RT followed by 5 times wash.Anti-mouse IgG Fc-HRP were used as secondardy Ab. After 5 times wash,add TMB solution to each well, incubate for 5-10 min, add equal volumeof stopping solution (2 M H2SO4) and read the optical density at 450 nM,see FIGS. 20 and 21.

3dscFv-Crry Cloning and Positive Clones Selected.

Primers were designed to amplify 3d8bscFv and Crry separately. 3′ primerfor 3d8b have 25 by sequence the same as the 5′primer for Crry. Afteroverlapping 2 fragments, 3′ primer for 3d8b and 5′primer for Crry wereused to amplify 3dscFvCrry fusion gene. 3d8bscFv-Crry fusion gene wascloned into pEE14.1 vector at the sites of HindIII and EcorI, see FIG.22.

Transfection and Positive Clone Selection.

PEE14.1/3d8bscFv-Crry was sequenced with right sq.PEE14.1/3d8bscFv-Crry-1 was transfected into CHO cells. 48 hrs aftertransfection, CHO/PEE14.1/3d8bscFv-Crry were transferred to MSXselection medium and after 3-4 weeks culture, cell clone were moved to24 wells, followed with clone selection by Dot-blot, see FIG. 23. 5 μlof cultured supernatant were loaded on NC membrane followed by 2% of BSAblock at RT for lhr. Anti-6×His HRP:1:1000 4° C. overnight. A6 of CHOsupernatant was used as negative control. Based on the result, B1 and D4were selected as positive clones for further culture and selection, seeFIG. 23.

3d8bscFv-FH cloning and sequencing.

Primers were designed to amplify 3d8bscFv and FH separately. 3′ primerfor 3d8b have 25 by sequence the same as the 5′primer for FH. Afteroverlapping 2 fragments, 3′ primer for 3d8b and 5′primer for FH wereused to amplify 3dscFv-FH fusion gene. 3d8bscFv-FH fusion gene wascloned into pEE14.1 vector at the sites of HindIII and EcorI.pEE3d8bFH-5 have been confirmed with right sequence. The plasmid hasbeen transfected into CHO cells for further selection.

Example 2

Ongoing work will further define the biodistribution, pharmacokinetics,and methods of tagging the antibodies with different reporter moietiesfor visual, radiologic and other means of detection. We have confirmedthat the antibodies can be radiolabeled for detection by PET, and theradiolabeled antibodies retain greater than 95% of theirimmunoreactivity. The affinity constants for the labeled antibodieswere:

Clone Kd 29 0.43 nM 9a 0.62 nM 8b 0.38 nM

Data collected indicates that the antibodies can successfully beconjugated to the surface of an MRI contrast agent (e.g. iron oxidenanoparticles), and fluorescently labeled antibody can be detected inthe retina using optical imaging methods.

The complement system is an important arm of the innate immune system,providing critical protection against invasive pathogens (Ricklin, D.,Hajishengallis, G., Yang, K., and Lambris, J. D. 2010. Complement: a keysystem for immune surveillance and homeostasis. Nat Immunol 11:785-797).Complement activation also contributes to the pathogenesis of numerousautoimmune and inflammatory diseases (Walport, M. J. 2001. Complement.Second of two parts. N Engl J Med 344:1140-1144). During the course ofcomplement activation, the C3 protein undergoes proteolytic cleavage atseveral different sites (FIG. 10). The cleavage fragments are fixed tonearby tissues through a covalent linkage between a thioester site on C3and hydroxyl groups on receptor surfaces (Serkova, N. J., Renner, B.,Larsen, B. A., Stoldt, C. R., Hasebroock, K. M., Bradshaw-Pierce, E. L.,Holers, V. M., and Thurman, J. M. 2010. Renal inflammation: targetediron oxide nanoparticles for molecular MR imaging in mice. Radiology255:517-526; Law, S. K., and Dodds, A. W. 1997. The internal thioesterand the covalent binding properties of the complement proteins C3 andC4. Protein Sci 6:263-274). Thus, the deposition of C3 fragments ontissue surfaces constitutes a durable signal of tissue inflammation. Forthis reason, tissue-bound C3 fragments are commonly used as biomarkersof immune activation. Renal biopsies, for example, are routinelyimmunostained for C3 fragments, and the detection of glomerular C3fragments serves as a sensitive and robust indicator of disease activity(Schulze, M., Pruchno, C. J., Burns, M., Baker, P. J., Johnson, R. J.,and Couser, W. G. 1993. Glomerular C3c localization indicates ongoingimmune deposit formation and complement activation in experimentalglomerulonephritis. Am J Pathol 142:179-187).

Because tissue-bound C3 fragments reflect local inflammation, they havealso been exploited as addressable binding ligands for targetedtherapeutics and diagnostic agents (Serkova, N. J., Renner, B., Larsen,B. A., Stoldt, C. R., Hasebroock, K. M., Bradshaw-Pierce, E. L., Holers,V. M., and Thurman, J. M. 2010. Renal inflammation: targeted iron oxidenanoparticles for molecular MR imaging in mice. Radiology 255:517-526;Atkinson, C., Song, H., Lu, B., Qiao, F., Burns, T. A., Holers, V. M.,Tsokos, G. C., and Tomlinson, S. 2005. Targeted complement inhibition byC3d recognition ameliorates tissue injury without apparent increase insusceptibility to infection. J Clin Invest 115:2444-2453; Sargsyan, S.A., Serkova, N. J., Renner, B., Hasebroock, K. M., Larsen, B., Stoldt,C., McFann, K., Pickering, M. C., and Thurman, J. M. 2012. Detection ofglomerular complement C3 fragments by magnetic resonance imaging inmurine lupus nephritis. Kidney Int 81:152-159; Rohrer, B., Long, Q.,Coughlin, B., Wilson, R. B., Huang, Y., Qiao, F., Tang, P. H.,Kunchithapautham, K., Gilkeson, G. S., and Tomlinson, S. 2009. Atargeted inhibitor of the alternative complement pathway reducesangiogenesis in a mouse model of age-related macular degeneration.Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 50:3056-3064; Rohrer, B., Coughlin, B.,Bandyopadhyay, M., and Holers, V. M. 2012. Systemic Human CR2-TargetedComplement Alternative Pathway Inhibitor Ameliorates Mouse Laser-InducedChoroidal Neovascularization. J Ocul Pharmacol Ther). These targetedagents have employed recombinant forms of complement receptor-2 (CR2), aprotein that can discriminate between intact C3 in the plasma andtissue-bound C3 fragments. The rationale for this approach is thatsystemically administered agents can be delivered to sites ofinflammation through their affinity with the iC3b and C3d fragments. Bydirecting therapeutic agents to molecular targets, one can achieve ahigh degree of local activity for the drug while minimizing its systemicside-effects (Webb, S. 2011. Pharma interest surges in antibody drugconjugates. Nat Biotechnol 29:297-298) We have also used a CR2-targetedcontrast agent to detect tissue-bound C3 fragments and renal diseaseactivity by magnetic resonance imaging (Serkova, N. J., Renner, B.,Larsen, B. A., Stoldt, C. R., Hasebroock, K. M., Bradshaw-Pierce, E. L.,Holers, V. M., and Thurman, J. M. 2010. Renal inflammation: targetediron oxide nanoparticles for molecular MR imaging in mice. Radiology255:517-526; Sargsyan, S. A., Serkova, N. J., Renner, B., Hasebroock, K.M., Larsen, B., Stoldt, C., McFann, K., Pickering, M. C., and Thurman,J. M. 2012. Detection of glomerular complement C3 fragments by magneticresonance imaging in murine lupus nephritis. Kidney Int 81:152-159).Although specific for the cleaved forms of C3, CR2-targeted agents maybind these fragments with a relatively low affinity [reported valuesrange from 1-10 μM at physiologic ionic strength (Guthridge, J. M.,Rakstang, J. K., Young, K. A., Hinshelwood, J., Aslam, M., Robertson,A., Gipson, M. G., Sarrias, M. R., Moore, W. T., Meagher, M., et al.2001. Structural studies in solution of the recombinant N-terminal pairof short consensus/complement repeat domains of complement receptor type2 (CR2/CD21) and interactions with its ligand C3dg. Biochemistry40:5931-5941; Isenman, D. E., Leung, E., Mackay, J. D., Bagby, S., andvan den Elsen, J. M. 2010. Mutational analyses reveal that thestaphylococcal immune evasion molecule Sbi and complement receptor 2(CR2) share overlapping contact residues on C3d: implications for thecontroversy regarding the CR2/C3d cocrystal structure. J Immunol184:1946-1955). Higher affinity targeting vectors for epitopes on thecleaved forms of C3 could potentially deliver therapeutic and diagnosticagents to sites of inflammation with even greater efficiency.

Well-characterized monoclonal antibodies to tissue-bound C3 fragmentsthus have many biomedical applications. They could be used as in vivodelivery vehicles for new therapeutic and diagnostic agents. They couldalso potentially modulate the biologic functions of the C3 fragments.For example they could block the interaction of the C3 fragments withCRs 1-4 or with other proteins that bind C3, such as the complementinhibitor factor H. Such antibodies could also be useful for identifyingspecific C3 fragments (e.g. C3b, iC3b, C3dg, and C3d) and quantifyingtheir relative abundance. There are, however, several barriers to thegeneration of such antibodies by standard methods. Like CR2, theantibodies must recognize epitopes of cleaved C3 that are not exposed onintact C3 (which circulates at a concentration of 1-2 mg/mL). This isfeasible, however, since internal regions of C3d (and likely also iC3band C3dg) are exposed by a conformational change in C3 during itsactivation (Janssen, B. J., Christodoulidou, A., McCarthy, A., Lambris,J. D., and Gros, P. 2006. Structure of C3b reveals conformationalchanges that underlie complement activity. Nature 444:213-216). Anotherdifficulty is that standard methods for generating and cloninghybridomas may expose the hybridoma cells to C3 and C3 fragments inserum-containing media, or to C3 synthesized by cells, such asmacrophages, that are used in the cultures. C3 in the media could maskpositive hybridoma clones or affect the growth of such clones throughcross-linkage of the B cell receptors.

We have used novel methods to overcome these difficulties and havedeveloped nine murine monoclonal antibodies to human C3d thatcross-react with both mouse and cynomologous C3d. Three of thesehigh-affinity antibodies discriminate the cleaved forms of C3 from theintact C3 protein. Furthermore, our studies demonstrate that theseantibodies can be used to target tissue sites of complement activationin vivo despite high levels of intact C3 in the circulation. We reportherein the methods that we used to develop these monoclonal antibodiesto C3d, and the evidence that these reagents target tissue-bound C3d invivo.

Example 3 Development of Murine mAbs to Recombinant Human C3d

During complement activation C3 undergoes a conformational change thatexposes a thioester bond (Serkova, N. J., Renner, B., Larsen, B. A.,Stoldt, C. R., Hasebroock, K. M., Bradshaw-Pierce, E. L., Holers, V. M.,and Thurman, J. M. 2010. Renal inflammation: targeted iron oxidenanoparticles for molecular MR imaging in mice. Radiology 255:517-526;Janssen, B. J., Christodoulidou, A., McCarthy, A., Lambris, J. D., andGros, P. 2006. Structure of C3b reveals conformational changes thatunderlie complement activity. Nature 444:213-216). The thioester domain(TED) of C3 rotates during the conversion of C3 into C3b, altering theorientation of the TED on the surface of the molecule (Janssen, B. J.,Christodoulidou, A., McCarthy, A., Lambris, J. D., and Gros, P. 2006.Structure of C3b reveals conformational changes that underlie complementactivity. Nature 444:213-216). This region of C3b remains exposed duringthe subsequent cleavages that generate iC3b, C3dg, and finally C3d (FIG.10). In order to generate mAbs to epitopes on this region of C3 weproduced recombinant human C3d (Guthridge, J. M., Rakstang, J. K.,Young, K. A., Hinshelwood, J., Aslam, M., Robertson, A., Gipson, M. G.,Sarrias, M. R., Moore, W. T., Meagher, M., et al. 2001. Structuralstudies in solution of the recombinant N-terminal pair of shortconsensus/complement repeat domains of complement receptor type 2(CR2/CD21) and interactions with its ligand C3dg. Biochemistry40:5931-5941) and immunized mice bearing a targeted deletion of the C3gene [C3−/− mice; (Wessels, M. R., Butko, P., Ma, M., Warren, H. B.,Lage, A. L., and Carroll, M. C. 1995. Studies of group B streptococcalinfection in mice deficient in complement component C3 or C4 demonstratean essential role for complement in both innate and acquired immunity.Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 92:11490-11494)]. Although C3−/− mice haveimpaired humoral immunity (Wessels, M. R., Butko, P., Ma, M., Warren, H.B., Lage, A. L., and Carroll, M. C. 1995. Studies of group Bstreptococcal infection in mice deficient in complement component C3 orC4 demonstrate an essential role for complement in both innate andacquired immunity. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 92:11490-11494), theydeveloped a strong antibody response to the C3d immunogen (data notshown).

Two fusions were performed using splenocytes of mice with high antibodytiters to C3d, but both fusions failed to yield any reactive clones.Because the desired hybridoma cells were specific for C3d, wehypothesized that the failure to generate any clones was because C3fragments generated by serum in the tissue culture media or frommacrophages used in the cloning process bound to the B cell receptors ofreactive cells. This could potentially lead to apoptosis of the cells orinterfere with the screening ELISA assay. Therefore, a third fusion wasperformed in which hybridoma cells were grown in serum-free mediaformulations. Because macrophages also have the capacity to synthesizeall of the proteins of the alternative complement pathway and generateC3 fragments (Strunk, R. C., Kunke, K. S., and Giclas, P. C. 1983. Humanperipheral blood monocyte-derived macrophages produce haemolyticallyactive C3 in vitro. Immunology 49:169-174), the feeder cells used duringcloning were obtained by peritoneal lavage of C3−/− mice. Single cellclones were generated and screened against C3d by ELISA, and nine cloneswith strong reactivity were identified (FIG. 11A).

To confirm that the antibodies reacted with C3d and not with acontaminant in the immunogen, the antibodies were tested against the C3dusing a sandwich ELISA in which the recombinant C3d was captured with apolyclonal anti-C3d capture antibody (Table 2). To test reactivity ofthe clones against murine C3d we performed indirect and sandwich ELISAsusing recombinant murine C3d. We also performed direct ELISAs to testbinding of the antibodies to recombinant human C3d from a secondconstruct, purified human C3d, and to recombinant cynomologous C3d. Thenine clones all showed strong reactivity against all of these targets(Table 2)

Example 4 Specificity of Clones 3d8b, 3d9, and 3d29 for C3 ActivationFragments

Western blot analysis of C3 and C3d was performed under denaturingconditions and the blots were probed with the nine anti-C3d clones.Although one would expect epitopes recognized in denatured C3d to alsobe exposed on the intact C3a chain in its denatured form, the antibodiesdemonstrated differential recognition of C3 and C3d in this assay (FIG.11B). The antibodies displayed three distinct binding patterns byWestern blot analysis: strong binding to C3d without binding to C3(Group I), strong binding to C3 and C3d (Group II), or weak binding toboth proteins (Group III). Clone 3d11 recognized all of the C3 fragmentsby Western blot analysis (FIG. 11C).

To test the binding of the antibodies to the different C3 fragments intheir native form, immunoprecipitation reactions were performed usingactivated plasma that contained a mixture of the various C3 fragments(FIG. 11D). The antibodies in Group I (clones 3d8b, 3d9, and 3d29)pulled-down the iC3b and C3dg fragments. Clone 11 (Group II) pulled downC3d. Clone 16 (Group III) pulled-down C3, iC3b, C3dg, and C3d.

The affinity of clones 3d8b, 3d9, and 3d29 for C3d were tested bysurface plasmon resonance (FIG. 12). The measured affinities were: 3d29:KD=1.06 nM; 3d9a: KD=0.367 nM; 3d8b: KD=0.465 nM.

Example 5 Effects of Anti-C3d mAbs on Surface-Bound C3 ConvertaseActivity

The alternative pathway C3-convertase is comprised of C3b in complexwith the factor B fragment Bb and the fluid phase protein properdin (P).While C3bBbP dissociation occurs spontaneously (T ½˜5-10 min), thisprocess is greatly accelerated by the fluid phase complement regulatorfactor H. This latter reaction plays a critical role in protecting cellsand tissues from complement-mediated damage and in preserving C3homeostasis. Certain anti-C3 autoantibodies, referred to as C3 nephriticfactors (C3Nef), stabilize the alternative pathway C3 convertase andconfer to it resistance to factor H, thus permitting uncontrolledcomplement activation (Daha, M. R., Fearon, D. T., and Austen, K. F.1976. C3 nephritic factor (C3NeF): stabilization of fluid phase andcell-bound alternative pathway convertase. J Immunol 116:1-7). To assesswhether the anti-C3d antibodies have C3Nef-like activity, we firstincubated C3bBbP complexes pre-assembled on sheep erythrocytes with theanti-C3d antibodies or with buffer alone for various times. We thenquantified the hemolytic activity of the remaining convertases. (FIG.13A). The group I clones (3d8b, 3d9a, and 3d29) did not have any effecton erythrocyte lysis, nor did the group II clone 3d31. The loss ofhemolysis activity due to spontaneous convertase dissociation during theincubation period in these samples was comparable to that of the controlcells. In contrast, the group III clones (3d3, 3d15, 3d16) stabilizedthe convertase, causing greater erythrocyte lysis immediately (FIG. 13A)and after a 2 hour incubation (FIG. 13B). In all cases, hemolysis wasabsolutely dependent on the presence of factor B in the pre-assemblystep (FIGS. 13C and D), thus confirming that the alternative pathwayC3-convertase mediated the Group III effects. EGTA was included as acalcium chelator, thus precluding the involvement of the othercomplement activation pathways in the process.

We also examined the impact of the anti-C3d antibodies on factor Hactivity. Factor H is an alternative pathway regulatory protein thatlimits alternative pathway activation by accelerating the decay of theC3-convertase (Weiler, J. M., Daha, M. R., Austen, K. F., and Fearon, D.T. 1976. Control of the amplification convertase of complement by theplasma protein beta1H. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 73:3268-3272) or byserving as a co-factor for factor I mediated cleavage (inactivation) ofC3b (Pangburn, M. K., Schreiber, R. D., and Muller-Eberhard, H. J. 1977.Human complement C3b inactivator: isolation, characterization, anddemonstration of an absolute requirement for the serum protein beta1Hfor cleavage of C3b and C4b in solution. J Exp Med 146:257-270). Theaddition of factor H inhibited lysis of the erythrocytes in reactionscontaining each of the anti-C3d antibodies, indicating that none of theantibodies blocked the factor H binding site on the surface of C3b (FIG.13E). This is consistent with recent data indicating that the bindingsite on C3b for the amino-terminal four SCRs of FH (CFH1-4), whichharbor the factor I cofactor and C3bBb decay acceleration activities ofFH, lies outside the TED domain (which approximates to the C3d cleavageproduct) (Wu, J., Wu, Y. Q., Ricklin, D., Janssen, B. J., Lambris, J.D., and Gros, P. 2009. Structure of complement fragment C3b-factor H andimplications for host protection by complement regulators. Nat Immunol10:728-733).

Finally, the antibodies were tested in an alternative pathway hemolysisassay using normal human serum and rabbit erythrocytes. This is astandard assay for measuring alternative pathway activity on activatorsurfaces. Even when clones 3d8b, 3d9a, and 3d29 were added to thereaction mix at high concentrations they did not increase lysis of theerythrocytes. Conversely, the addition of clone 16 at highconcentrations did increase hemolysis.

Example 6 Effect of Anti-C3d mAbs on Binding of C3d by CR2

C3d is a ligand for CR2, which is expressed on B cells and folliculardendritic cells. Recognition of C3d by CR2 on B cells lowers thethreshold for B cell activation by the B cell receptor (Lyubchenko, T.,dal Porto, J., Cambier, J. C., and Holers, V. M. 2005. Coligation of theB cell receptor with complement receptor type 2 (CR2/CD21) using itsnatural ligand C3dg: activation without engagement of an inhibitorysignaling pathway. J Immunol 174:3264-3272). Consequently, signaling byCR2 is important in the development of the humoral immune response andautoimmunity. We tested whether the mAbs to C3d would block thisinteraction (FIG. 15). Using an in vitro CR2-C3d binding assay, we foundthat clones 3d8b, 3d9a, 3d11, 3d29, and 3d31 blocked CR2 from bindingC3d. Dose response curves for the group 1 antibodies demonstrated nearlycomplete inhibition of CR2 by 3d8b at high concentrations (FIG. 15B).Clones 3d9a and 3d29 achieved approximately 80% inhibition of binding byCR2 when added at high concentrations (FIGS. 13C-D). These results raisethe possibility that the antibodies may have immunomodulatory function.

Example 7 Binding of Anti-C3d mAbs to Surface-Bound C3 ActivationFragments In Vitro

To assess the ability of the mAbs to bind native C3 fragments bound toactivating surfaces, zymosan particles were opsonized with C3 fragmentsby incubation with serum (Thurman, J. M., Kraus, D. M., Girardi, G.,Hourcade, D., Kang, H. J., Royer, P. A., Mitchell, L. M., Giclas, P. C.,Salmon, J., Gilkeson, G., et al. 2005. A novel inhibitor of thealternative complement pathway prevents antiphospholipidantibody-induced pregnancy loss in mice. Mol Immunol 42:87-97). Theparticles were then incubated with the antibodies, and bound antibodieswere detected by flow cytometry (FIG. 16A). Clones 8b, 9a, and 29 boundto the opsonized zymosan particles, whereas the other clones did not. Totest the binding of these antibodies to C3 deposits in tissues, sectionswere made from the kidneys of factor H deficient mice. These glomeruliof these mice are characterized by glomerulonephritis and have abundantdeposits of the C3 activation fragments iC3b and C3dg/C3d(Paixao-Cavalcante, D., Hanson, S., Botto, M., Cook, H. T., andPickering, M. C. 2009. Factor H facilitates the clearance of GBM boundiC3b by controlling C3 activation in fluid phase. Mol Immunol46:1942-1950; Pickering, M. C., Cook, H. T., Warren, J., Bygrave, A. E.,Moss, J., Walport, M. J., and Botto, M. 2002. Uncontrolled C3 activationcauses membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis in mice deficient incomplement factor H. Nat Genet 31:424-428). Clones 8b, 9a, and 29 boundto the acetone-fixed sections in a pattern indistinguishable from thatobtained using a polyclonal antibody to C3 (FIG. 16B).

Example 8 In Vivo Targeting of Anti-C3d mAbs to Tissue Sites ofComplement Activation

Next, we sought to determine whether the antibodies would bind totissue-bound C3 fragments when injected in vivo. The antibodies wereinjected intravenously into fH−/− mice, which do not have glomerulardeposits of endogenous IgG (Pickering, M. C., Cook, H. T., Warren, J.,Bygrave, A. E., Moss, J., Walport, M. J., and Botto, M. 2002.Uncontrolled C3 activation causes membranoproliferativeglomerulonephritis in mice deficient in complement factor H. Nat Genet31:424-428). After 24 hours the kidneys were harvested and immunostainedfor IgG (FIG. 16A). Clones 8b, 9a, and 29 were readily detected alongthe glomerular basement membrane in a pattern indistinguishable fromthat of the C3 fragments, demonstrating that they bound to C3 depositsin the glomerular capillary wall after intravenous injection. To confirmthat we were not detecting endogenous deposits of IgG, clone 3d29 wasbiotinylated and injected into fH−/− mice. Glomerular binding of theantibody was detected using streptavidin-FITC.

C3 fragments are ordinarily deposited along the tubular basementmembrane of wild-type mice (Thurman, J. M., Ljubanovic, D., Edelstein,C. L., Gilkeson, G. S., and Holers, V. M. 2003. Lack of a functionalalternative complement pathway ameliorates ischemic acute renal failurein mice. J Immunol 170:1517-1523). Tubular C3 deposits are not seen infH−/− mice, likely because most C3 is consumed in the fluid phase inthese mice (Guthridge, J. M., Rakstang, J. K., Young, K. A.,Hinshelwood, J., Aslam, M., Robertson, A., Gipson, M. G., Sarrias, M.R., Moore, W. T., Meagher, M., et al. 2001. Structural studies insolution of the recombinant N-terminal pair of shortconsensus/complement repeat domains of complement receptor type 2(CR2/CD21) and interactions with its ligand C3dg. Biochemistry40:5931-5941). No IgG was detected along the tubular basement membraneof fH−/− mice injected with the anti-C3d antibodies. However, whenbiotinylated 3d29 was injected into wild-type mice, it was detectedalong the tubular basement membrane and co-localized with the C3deposits. These results indicate that 3d8b, 3d9a, and 3d29 target andbind to tissue deposits of C3 activation fragments in the glomeruli ofnephritic mice and in the tubulointerstitium of unmanipulated wild-typemice.

Example 9 In Vivo Imaging Anti-C3d mAbs Targeted to Ocular Sites ofComplement Activation

To test whether the targeted antibodies could be visualized in vivo, weturned to a system amenable to optical imaging, the eye. Complementactivation is involved in pathology of age-related macular degeneration(AMD). Complement components, including C3 (Hageman, G. S., Luthert, P.J., Victor Chong, N. H., Johnson, L. V., Anderson, D. H., and Mullins,R. F. 2001. An integrated hypothesis that considers drusen as biomarkersof immune-mediated processes at the RPE-Bruch's membrane interface inaging and age-related macular degeneration. Prog Retin Eye Res20:705-732), anaphlatoxins C3a and C5a (Nozaki, M., Raisler, B. J.,Sakurai, E., Sarma, J. V., Barnum, S. R., Lambris, J. D., Chen, Y.,Zhang, K., Ambati, B. K., Baffi, J. Z., et al. 2006. Drusen complementcomponents C3a and C5a promote choroidal neovascularization. Proc NatlAcad Sci USA 103:2328-2333) as well as components of the membrane attackcomplex (Hageman, G. S., Luthert, P. J., Victor Chong, N. H., Johnson,L. V., Anderson, D. H., and Mullins, R. F. 2001. An integratedhypothesis that considers drusen as biomarkers of immune-mediatedprocesses at the RPE-Bruch's membrane interface in aging and age-relatedmacular degeneration. Prog Retin Eye Res 20:705-732) have been found tobe present in pathological structures in AMD (e.g., drusen, Bruch'smembrane), and single polymorphisms in complement genes pose as riskfactors for AMD (Leveziel, N., Tilleul, J., Puche, N., Zerbib, J.,Laloum, F., Querques, G., and Souied, E. H. 2011. Genetic factorsassociated with age-related macular degeneration. Ophthalmologica226:87-102). AMD results in vision loss from either atrophy of theretinal pigmented epithelium (RPE) followed by loss of photoreceptors,or choroidal neovascularization (CNV) followed by loss of photoreceptors(Brown et al., 2005). The latter process can be mimicked in mice bydamaging the blood retina barrier using laser photocoagulation, whichtriggers ingrowth of choroidal blood vessels into the subretinal spacein a complement-dependent way (Rohrer et al., 2009; Rohrer et al.,2011). Likewise, complement deposition has been shown to occur at thesite of injury (Nozaki et al., 2006; Rohrer et al., 2009). Utilizing thesystemic CR2 targeting strategy, we have shown that complementinhibition delivered in this fashion (CR2-fH) can ameliorate CNV (Rohreret al., 2009; Rohrer et al., 2012).

Here we tested whether we can directly image sites of complementactivation in the RPE/choroid of laser-damaged mice, using the anti-C3dmAbs. First, we tested which of antibodies recognize C3d epitopes in theCNV lesion sites in flatmounted eyes. Since fluorescently labeledantibodies will be required for the in-vivo imaging, only FITC-labeledantibodies were tested. Of the FITC-labeled mAbs, clone 29 demonstratedthe best binding to the CNV lesion in lightly fixed tissues (4%paraformaldehyde) (FIG. 18A). Since complement factor B knockout mice(fB−/−) show no increase in C3 in the RPE/choroid in response to thelesion and fail to develop significant CNV (Rohrer et al., 2009), fB−/−mice were used as negative controls for FITC-labeled mAb binding (FIG.18B). An isotype control antibody (HB5) was also tested in order toconfirm specificity of binding by 3d29 (FIG. 18C).

For in vivo imaging, CNV lesions were generated and FITC-labeled 3d29 orHB5 was injected intravenously on day 3 after CNV induction, a timepoint previously shown to correspond to the peak of C3 expression withinthe lesion (Rohrer et al., 2009) Animals were imaged 6, 24 and 48 hoursafter the injection, using fundus imaging. The CNV lesions are readilyapparent in brighfield images as depigmented areas (FIG. 18D, F). At theearly time points (6 and 24 hrs), both antibodies produced increased butindistinguishable fluorescence in the lesions. By 48 hours, diffusebackground fluorescence is detected in control antibody—(FIG. 18E, E′)in comparison to the punctate pattern revealed in 3d29 mAb-injected mice(FIG. 18G, G′). These results indicate that 3d29 is retained inRPE/choroid tissue deposits of C3 activation fragments at the posteriorpole of CNV-lesioned mice at a high enough concentration that it can bevisualized in the living eye using conventional imaging techniques.

Example 10 Analysis

This report describes the development of three monoclonal antibodies(the group I antibodies 3d8b, 3d9a, and 3d29) to the C3 activationfragment C3d that do not bind to intact C3 in its native conformation.These are antibodies that recognize an epitope on iC3b and C3d that iseither generated or exposed during complement activation. Tosuccessfully create these antibodies we made several modifications tostandard methods of hybridoma fusion: the hybridoma cells were grownunder serum-free conditions and macrophages from C3−/− mice were used asfeeder cells during the cloning process. This approach allowed thegeneration of nine mAbs to human C3d that also reacted with murine andcynomologous C3d.

Three of the nine antibodies demonstrated strong binding toSDS-denatured C3d, but little binding to denatured C3. The same threeantibodies pulled-down iC3b and C3dg from a mixture that also containedintact C3, but the antibodies did not pull-down the intact C3 protein.These three clones also bound to C3 fragments on the surface ofopsonized zymosan particles in vitro, demonstrating the ability to bindsurface bound C3 fragments. Certain anti-C3 antibodies are known tostabilize C3-convertases, effectively amplifying complement activation.The three clones that target tissue-bound C3 fragments did not have anyactivating activity using several different in vitro assays. One of theother clones (clone 3d16), however, increased rabbit erythrocyte lysisin an assay of alternative pathway activation, and, along with otherGroup III antibodies, stabilized C3 convertases that were preassembledon sheep red blood cells. None of the antibodies described hereprevented factor H mediated dissociation of the C3 convertase.

When mice with glomerulonephritis were injected with clones 3d8b, 3d9a,or 3d29, the antibodies accumulated at the site of C3 deposits withinthe glomeruli, demonstrating that the antibodies can be used to targettissue-bound iC3b and C3d at this location. When injected into wild-typemice these antibodies bound to C3 fragments deposited along the tubularbasement membrane (which have deposition of C3 fragments at baseline).Because C3 fragments are present in the circulation of fH−/− mice andwild-type mice have high circulating levels of intact C3, thisexperiment verified that the clones 8b, 9a, and 29 preferentially bindto the tissue-bound iC3b and C3d activation fragments even in thepresence of circulating C3 and C3 fragments.

The high affinity of these antibodies for C3d and the ability to deliveragents to sites of C3d deposition in vivo potentially make theminvaluable tools for the development of diagnostic and therapeuticagents. The detection of glomerular C3 deposition is critical for theaccurate diagnosis of glomerulonephritis, and renal biopsy tissue isroutinely stained for C3. We have developed an MRI-based method for thenon-invasive detection of glomerular C3 and these high-affinityantibodies may improve the sensitivity of this method. In the currentstudy we demonstrated that FITC-labeled 3d29 was visualized in liveanimals using conventional fluorescence imaging. This enabled us tonon-invasively detect C3d deposits within the RPE/choroid of mice withCNV. Finally, targeted complement inhibitors have also demonstratedgreat promise for the treatment of inflammatory diseases (Atkinson, C.,Song, H., Lu, B., Qiao, F., Burns, T. A., Holers, V. M., Tsokos, G. C.,and Tomlinson, S. 2005. Targeted complement inhibition by C3drecognition ameliorates tissue injury without apparent increase insusceptibility to infection. J Clin Invest 115:2444-2453; Sekine, H.,Kinser, T. T., Qiao, F., Martinez, E., Paulling, E., Ruiz, P., Gilkeson,G. S., and Tomlinson, S. 2011. The benefit of targeted and selectiveinhibition of the alternative complement pathway for modulatingautoimmunity and renal disease in MRL/lpr mice. Arthritis Rheum63:1076-1085; Song, H., He, C., Knaak, C., Guthridge, J. M., Holers, V.M., and Tomlinson, S. 2003. Complement receptor 2-mediated targeting ofcomplement inhibitors to sites of complement activation. J Clin Invest111:1875-1885). These antibodies may provide a high-affinity targetingvector for delivery of novel therapeutic agents to sites of tissueinflammation.

In addition to their ability to direct diagnostic and therapeutic agentsto sites of tissue-bound iC3b and C3dg/C3d in vivo, these antibodies mayalso be useful for modulating the biologic functions of complement.Clones 3d8b, 3d9a, and 3d29 blocked the binding of C3d by CR2. Given theimportant role of C3d-CR2 signaling in the adaptive immune responsethese antibodies may have immunomodulatory activity outside of thecomplement system.

We screened the antibodies against a panel of C3d mutants to identifythe exact epitope on C3d. The antibodies may recognize complex epitopes.Similarly, all nine of the clones recognized all forms of C3 whenscreened by ELISA, possibly because adherence of C3 and C3b to ELISAplates caused exposure of the target epitopes that would otherwise havebeen hidden. Possible methods to detect the binding site of theseantibodies include co-crystal structure studies (Wu, J., Wu, Y. Q.,Ricklin, D., Janssen, B. J., Lambris, J. D., and Gros, P. 2009.Structure of complement fragment C3b-factor H and implications for hostprotection by complement regulators. Nat Immunol 10:728-733) or nuclearmagnetic resonance (Kovacs, J. M., Hannan, J. P., Eisenmesser, E. Z.,and Holers, V. M. 2009. Mapping of the C3d ligand binding site oncomplement receptor 2 (CR2/CD21) using nuclear magnetic resonance andchemical shift analysis. J Biol Chem 284:9513-9520). Identification ofthe binding site for each antibody may help predict biologic functionsof the antibodies, as one may then predict interactions of the C3molecules that will be interrupted by the antibodies.

In conclusion, we have successfully generated mAbs to C3 activationfragments. Three of the antibodies recognize the activated forms of C3(iC3b and C3dg/C3d) but do not bind to intact C3 in its native state. Wehave demonstrated that these antibodies can successfully targettissue-bound C3 fragments in vivo, in spite of high circulating levelsof intact C3. Antibodies specific to tissue-bound C3 activationfragments may be employed for targeted delivery of therapeutic anddiagnostic agents to sites of tissue inflammation. Radiologic methods ofdetecting these antibodies could provide an important new tool fordetecting and monitoring tissue inflammation. We have demonstrated thatfluorescently labeled antibody was detected in live animals with CNV.Now that therapeutic complement inhibitors have been approved forclinical use (Rother, R. P., Rollins, S. A., Mojcik, C. F., Brodsky, R.A., and Bell, L. 2007. Discovery and development of the complementinhibitor eculizumab for the treatment of paroxysmal nocturnalhemoglobinuria. Nat Biotechnol 25:1256-1264), non-invasive methods ofdetecting complement activation within tissues will be particularlyimportant.

Example 11 Experimental Methods

Recombinant Human C3d.

Recombinant human C3d was used as an immunogen for antibody generation.It was also used as a target antigen in ELISA binding studies, andWestern blot analysis. The C3d was generated using the pGEX expressionsystem (GE Healthcare) in E. coli as previously described (Hannan, J.P., Young, K. A., Guthridge, J. M., Asokan, R., Szakonyi, G., Chen, X.S., and Holers, V. M. 2005. Mutational analysis of the complementreceptor type 2 (CR2/CD21)-C3d interaction reveals a putative chargedSCR1 binding site for C3d. J Mol Biol 346:845-858). Briefly,ampicillin-resistant colonies were expanded to 1 liter in Luria-Bertani(LB) broth. The cultures were grown at 37° C. until an A600 of 0.3 wasachieved. Cultures were induced with 0.3 mMisopropyl-β-D-thiogalactoside at 30° C. overnight before harvesting bycentrifugation. Harvested pellets were resuspended in glutathioneS-transferase column buffer (50 mM Tris-HCl, pH 8.0, 250 mM NaCl, 1 mMEDTA) and lysed by sonication. Lysate was clarified by centrifugationand applied to a GStrap column (GE Biosciences). C3d was cleaved fromthe column by digesting with 50 units of thrombin overnight at 4° C. andsubsequently purified by size exclusion chromatography. Purity of C3dwas verified using SDS-PAGE. A second form of recombinant human C3d wasalso produced as previously described (Kulik, L., Marchbank, K. J.,Lyubchenko, T., Kuhn, K. A., Liubchenko, G. A., Haluszczak, C., Gipson,M. G., Boackle, S. A., and Holers, V. M. 2007. Intrinsic B cellhypo-responsiveness in mice prematurely expressing human CR2/CD21 duringB cell development. Eur J Immunol 37:623-633).

Recombinant Murine C3d.

Murine C3d was cloned from murine cDNA using a forward primer containinga BamH I restriction site (5′ cgc gga tcc gcg get gtg gac ggg gag 3′)(SEQ ID NO:53) and a reverse primer containing an EcoR I restrictionsite (5′ ccg gaa ttc cgg tca tca acg get ggg gag gtg 3′) (SEQ ID NO:54).The amplified fragment was inserted into pGEX vector and generated bythe same methods as was the human C3d. The murine C3d was used as atarget antigen in ELISA binding studies.

Recombinant CR2 SCR1-2.

Recombinant Maltose-binding protein (MBP-) tagged CR2 SCR1-2 (MBP-CR2)comprising residues 1-133 of wild-type CR2 and encompassing the firsttwo SCR modules were expressed in E. coli as previously described(Szakonyi, G., Klein, M. G., Hannan, J. P., Young, K. A., Ma, R. Z.,Asokan, R., Holers, V. M., and Chen, X. S. 2006. Structure of theEpstein-Barr virus major envelope glycoprotein. Nat Struct Mol Biol13:996-1001; Young, K. A., Chen, X. S., Holers, V. M., and Hannan, J. P.2007. Isolating the Epstein-Barr virus gp350/220 binding site oncomplement receptor type 2 (CR2/CD21). J Biol Chem 282:36614-36625;Young, K. A., Herbert, A. P., Barlow, P. N., Holers, V. M., and Hannan,J. P. 2008. Molecular basis of the interaction between complementreceptor type 2 (CR2/CD21) and Epstein-Barr virus glycoprotein gp350. JVirol 82:11217-11227). Briefly, MBP-CR2 SCR1-2-transformed colonies ofE. coli BL21 were expanded to 4 liters in LB media and grown at 37° C.until an A600 of 0.3 was obtained. Cultures were then induced with 0.3mM IPTG at 20° C. overnight before harvesting by centrifugation.Resulting cell pellets were re-suspended in a column buffer comprising20 mM Tris-HCl (pH 7.4), 0.2 M NaCl, and 1 mM EDTA prior to lysis bysonication. The resulting lysate was clarified by centrifugation andrecombinant MBP-CR2 initially purified by successive amylose-affinityand size exclusion chromatography steps. Finally, the recombinantMBP-CR2 was applied to a C3d-affinity column, generated by bindingGST-tagged C3d to a GSTrap column (GE Biosciences) and eluted with alinear NaCl gradient. The resulting protein was then concentrated,buffer-exchanged into PBS (1.6 mM MgCl₂, 0.9 mM KCl, 0.5 mM KH2PO4, 45.6mM NaCl, 2.7 mM Na₂HPO4) and the purity tested by SDS-PAGE.

Purified Complement Proteins.

Binding studies were also performed using commercially availablepurified complement proteins (C3, C3b, iC3b, and C3d; all fromCompTech).

Example 12 Detectable Moieties and Conjugation to Antibodies, orAntigen-Binding Fragments Thereof

Nanoparticles of 30 nm in diameter, polyethylene glycol (PEG)-coated,amine (#SHA-30-05) or carboxylic acid group (#SHP-30-10) reactive-sitecontaining SPIO, were purchased from Ocean NanoTech, LLC. Aminecontaining SPIO are termed here as NH2-SPIO, and carboxylic acidcontaining SPIO are termed here as COOH-SPIO. Purified C3d protein wasprepared. Chimeric molecule CR2-Fc (Fc from mouse IgG1, binds iC3b andC3d), mouse antibody C3d29 (isotype IgG2a, binds C3d), and mouseantibody 171 (used as a non-specific control, isotype IgG1) werepurified from respective hybridoma lines as per protocols describedpreviously. The conjugation chemicals1-ethyl-3-[3-dimethylaminopropyl]carbodiimide hydrochloride (EDC;#22980), N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS; #24500), hydroxylamine hydrochloride(hydroxylamine HCl; #26103), and N-succinimidyl-S-acetylthioacetate(SATA; #26102) were purchased from ThermoScientific. N-Maleoyl-β-alaninewas from Sigma-Aldrich (#394815), phosphate buffered saline (PBS) wasfrom Invitrogen (#10010-023), and PD-minitrap G-25 columns were from GEHealthcare (#28-9180-07). Anti-mouse-IgG-fluorescein isothiocyante(FITC) secondary antibody, binding all isotypes of mouse IgG, waspurchased from Jackson ImmunoResearch (#115-095-164). The suspensionChinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells were purchased and maintained in CHOmedium (Invitrogen #12651) and 1% penicillin/streptomycin (Invitrogen,#15140) at 37° C. and 5% CO₂. Adherent CHO cells from . . . , andmaintained in Dulbecco's Modified Eagles Medium medium (DMEM;Invitrogen, #21063), 10% fetal calf serum (HyClone), and 1%penicillin/streptomycin, at 37° C. and 5% CO₂. Bicinchoninic acid (BCA)protein assay kit was purchased from Pierce (#23227), hydrochloric acidwas from Fisher Scientific (#A1445I-212), hydrogen peroxide was fromSigma (#H-1009), potassium thiocyanate was from Sigma (#P-3048),paraformaldehyde from Sigma (PFA; #158127), N,N-dimethylformamide fromSigma (DMF; #D-8654), 96-well plates from Costar (#3690), 6-well platesfrom Croning (#), bovine serum albumin (BSA) from Fisher Scientific(BP1600-100), 1-Step UltraTMB substrate from ThermoScientific (#34028),normal mouse serum from Valley Biomedical (#AS3054C57BL).

Conjugation of SPIO

Three conjugation reactions were set up: 1) thiolated protein bindingmaleoyl-activated NH2-SPIO (named hereafter as “maleoyl” method ofconjugation); 2) EDC/NHS activated proteins binding NH2-SPIO (namedhereafter as “EDC/NHS/NH2” conjugation method); and 3) EDC/NHS activatedCOOH-SPIO binding proteins (named hereafter as “EDC/NHS” conjugationmethod). For maleoyl method, 200 μg of proteins in PBS were reacted with5 μl of 8 mg/ml SATA in DMF for 30 min, then hydroxylamine HCl was addedat final concentration of 50 mM and reacted for 1 h. The proteins werepurified through the PD-minitrap columns as per manufacturer's protocol.The purified proteins were immediately reacted with NH2-SPIO containing100 μg of Fe³⁺ and activated for 10 min at 55° C. withN-Maleoyl-β-alanine and EDC, each at 0.1 nmole. For EDC/NHS/NH2 method,200 μg of respective proteins were activated for 15 min at roomtemperature with EDC/NHS mixture, each at 0.4 nmole, and then added toNH2-SPIO containing 100 μg of Fe³⁺. For EDC/NHS method, COOH—SPIOcontaining 250 μg of Fe³⁺ were activated for 15 min at room temperaturewith EDC/NHS, each at 0.8 nmole, and added to 500 μg of proteins. Forall three methods, the proteins and respective SPIO were reacted for 2 hat room temperature, under constant mixing. The SPIO were then washedthree times with PBS, and resuspended in PBS after a brief (3-10 s)sonication (model W-380, Ultrasonics Inc.). The conjugated SPIO werestored at 4° C.

Example 13 Animal Models

Mice and Animal Models.

To generate monoclonal antibodies to C3d, mice with a targeted deletionof the C3 gene were immunized with recombinant human C3d. These micewere generated as previously described (Wessels, M. R., Butko, P., Ma,M., Warren, H. B., Lage, A. L., and Carroll, M. C. 1995. Studies ofgroup B streptococcal infection in mice deficient in complementcomponent C3 or C4 demonstrate an essential role for complement in bothinnate and acquired immunity. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 92:11490-11494).C57BL/6 wild-type mice were used for some in vivo experiments, and serumwas collected from these mice for in vitro assays that required murinecomplement proteins. Mice with targeted deletion of the gene for factorH gene were generated as previously described (Pickering, M. C., Cook,H. T., Warren, J., Bygrave, A. E., Moss, J., Walport, M. J., and Botto,M. 2002. Uncontrolled C3 activation causes membranoproliferativeglomerulonephritis in mice deficient in complement factor H. Nat Genet31:424-428). Kidney section from these mice were used to test binding ofthe anti-C3d antibodies to tissue-bound C3 fragments in vitro, and fH−/−mice were injected with purified anti-C3d antibodies to test binding ofthe antibodies to tissue-bound C3 fragments in vivo. Mice with targeteddeletion of the gene for complement factor B gene were used as anegative control for binding of the FITC-labeled anti-C3d antibodies toCNV lesions (Matsumoto, M., Fukuda, W., Circolo, A., Goellner, J.,Strauss-Schoenberger, J., Wang, X., Fujita, S., Hidvegi, T., Chaplin, D.D., and Colten, H. R. 1997. Abrogation of the alternative complementpathway by targeted deletion of murine factor B. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA94:8720-8725).

To induce CNV lesions, 3-month-old mice were anesthetized (xylazine andketamine, 20 and 80 mg/kg, respectively) and pupils were dilated (2.5%phenylephrine HCl and 1% atropine sulfate). Argon laser photocoagulation(532 nm, 100 μm spot size, 0.1 s duration, 100 mW) was used to generatefour laser spots in each eye surrounding the optic nerve, using ahandheld coverslip as a contact lens (Rohrer et al., 2009). Fortail-vein injections, the vein was vasodilated by heat, a 25-G needlewas inserted and a volume of 100 μL injected. The dosing and treatmentschedule is outlined in the results section. The CNV model and fundusimaging were performed in accordance with the ARVO Statement for the Useof Animals in Ophthalmic and Vision Research and were approved by theUniversity Animal Care and Use Committee.

Immunization Protocol and Hybridoma Generation.

The humoral immune response to the immunizations was assessed by ELISAusing the C3d as the target. The mice developed high titers of anti-C3dantibodies after three injections of 60-100 μg of protein (the firstinjection in complete Freund's adjuvant and the second injection usingincomplete Freund's adjuvant). The mice were then injectedintra-peritoneally with 100 μg of C3d, and after 24 hours the spleen washarvested for fusion to Sp2/0 hybridoma cells (Kulik, L., Fleming, S.D., Moratz, C., Reuter, J. W., Novikov, A., Chen, K., Andrews, K. A.,Markaryan, A., Quigg, R. J., Silverman, G. J., et al. 2009. Pathogenicnatural antibodies recognizing annexin IV are required to developintestinal ischemia-reperfusion injury. J Immunol 182:5363-5373). Toprevent exposure of the anti-C3d hybridomas to C3d during the cloningprocess, the cells were grown in serum free media supplemented withhypoxanthine-aminopterin-thymidine (HAT) (Sigma-Aldrich, St. Louis,Mo.), and peritoneal macrophages from C3−/− mice were used as the feedercells during this process. Single cell clones were generated, andspecificity of the clones for C3d was confirmed by ELISA, as describedbelow.

Example 14 Assays

C3d ELISAs.

To assess reactivity of antibodies against C3d, ELISAs were performedusing purified forms of C3 activation fragments from several differentsources (see Reagents section above). Direct ELISAs were performed byaffixing 30-50 ng of the C3 fragment to the ELISA plate overnight at 4°C. The plates were blocked with 1% bovine serum albumin in PBS for 2hours at room temperature. Bound antibodies were then detected withHRP-conjugated anti-mouse IgG (MP Biomedicals, Solon, Ohio). SandwichELISAs were performed by incubating polyclonal anti-human C3d antibody(Dako USA, Carpinteria, Calif.) to the ELISA plates in order to capturethe C3d. Binding of the antibodies to the captured C3d was then detectedas above.

C3d-CR2/Anti-C3d Monoclonal Antibody Competition Assay.

Plates were incubated overnight at 4° C. with wild-type C3d at aconcentration of 5 μg/ml, in a 50 mM sodium bicarbonate buffer (pH 8.8).After coating, plates were blocked utilizing 1% BSA in PBS, pH 7.4 forone hour at room temperature. Plates were then washed three times usingPBS-Tween 20 (0.05%). 10 μg/ml of recombinant wild-type MBP-CR2 wereadded to half of the C3d-coated wells to act as a positive control. Tothe other half of the C3d-coated wells 10 μg/ml of recombinant wild-typeMBP-CR2 additionally containing one of the following anti-C3d monoclonalantibodies: 3d8B; 3d31; 3d15; 3d9a; 3d11; 3d16; 3d10; 3d3 and 3d29 atconcentrations ranging from 1.625-26 μg/ml in PBS was added. After a onehour incubation period the plates were washed and the plates were thanincubated with commercially available HRP-conjugated anti-MBP MBP-CR2(New England Biolabs) according to the manufacturers instructions. Afterone hour, binding of MBP-CR2 SCR1-2 to the plate-bound C3d was detectedwith 2,2′-azinobis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS).

Western Blot Analysis and Pull-Down Studies.

Western blot analysis was performed by running 1 μg of purifiedcomplement protein was resolved by electrophoresis with a 10% Bis-Trispolyacrylamide gel (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, Calif.) under denaturingconditions, and was then transferred to a nitrocellulose membrane. C3fragments were then detected by incubating the membrane with 25 μg ofeach antibody for 1 hour at room temperature, and bound antibody wasdetected with HRP-conjugated anti-mouse IgG.

Complement Assays

Zymosan Activation Assay.

Zymosan particles were opsonized with murine C3 fragments by incubatingthe particles with complement sufficient mouse serum as previouslydescribed (Thurman, J. M., Kraus, D. M., Girardi, G., Hourcade, D.,Kang, H. J., Royer, P. A., Mitchell, L. M., Giclas, P. C., Salmon, J.,Gilkeson, G., et al. 2005. A novel inhibitor of the alternativecomplement pathway prevents antiphospholipid antibody-induced pregnancyloss in mice. Mol Immunol 42:87-97). The particles were incubated with 2μg of purified anti-C3d antibody, and bound antibody was detected withFITC-conjugated anti-mouse IgG (MP Biotech). The samples were analyzedby flow cytometry, and were compared to a positive control [C3deposition detected with a polyclonal anti-mouse C3 (MP Biomedicals)] orwith a negative control (no serum added).

Alternative Pathway Hemolytic Assay.

This assay was performed as previously described (Thurman, J. M., Kraus,D. M., Girardi, G., Hourcade, D., Kang, H. J., Royer, P. A., Mitchell,L. M., Giclas, P. C., Salmon, J., Gilkeson, G., et al. 2005. A novelinhibitor of the alternative complement pathway preventsantiphospholipid antibody-induced pregnancy loss in mice. Mol Immunol42:87-97). Briefly, rabbit erythrocytes (Colorado Serum Company, Denver,Colo.) were washed and then resuspeneded in a solution of 1.1% NaCl,0.0025% Na-5,5 diethyl barbiturate, pH 7.35, 8 mM EGTA, 2 mM MgCl2.(GVB/Mg/EGTA). Fifty μl of this suspension was added to human serum (5to 100 μl), and buffer solution was added to bring the final volume upto 150 μl. Erythrocytes in buffer without serum were used as a negativecontrol, and erythrocytes added to 100 μl of distilled water were usedas positive controls (complete lysis). Samples were incubated at 37° C.for 30 minutes with occasional shaking to keep the cells in suspension.The reactions were stopped by adding 1.5 ml of cold PBS and the sampleswere spun at 1000×g for five minutes. The optical density of eachsupernatant was read at 415 nm using a spectrophotometer (Biorad,Hercules, Calif.). We determined the concentration of serum that caused˜50% lysis of the erythrocytes. The reactions were then repeated withthe addition of 0 to 40 μg of each antibody. The percent lysis for eachreaction was compared to serum alone, and the change in lysis wasreported as a percentage.

Buffers.

DGVB²⁺: 1 mM MgCl2, 0.15 mM CaCl2, 71 mM NaCl, 0.1% (w/v) gelatin,2.5%(w/v) dextrose, and 2.47 mM sodium 5′,5″-diethyl barbiturate (pH7.35); Mg2+ EGTA buffer: 10 mM Na₂EGTA, 7 mM MgCl2, 59 mM NaCl, 0.083%(w/v) gelatin, 2.075% (w/v) dextrose and 2.05 mM sodium 5′,5″-diethylbarbiturate (pH 7.3-7.6); 10 mM EDTA buffer: 10 mM Na₂EDTA, 128 mM NaCl,0.1% (w/v) gelatin, and 4.45 mM sodium 5′,5″-diethyl barbiturate (pH7.35); 40 mM EDTA buffer: 40 mM Na₂EDTA, 85 mM NaCl, 0.1% (w/v) gelatin,and 2.96 mM sodium 5′,5″-diethyl barbiturate (pH 7.35).

Preparation of Cell-Bound C3b.

Ab-sensitized sheep erythrocytes (EA cells, 5 ml, 5×10⁸/ml) obtainedfrom CompTech were washed twice and resuspended in 5 ml of DGVB²⁺buffer, mixed with 37.5 μg of human C1 in 5 ml of DGVB²⁺, and incubatedfor 15 min at 30°. The resulting cells (EAC1) were washed twice andresuspended in 5 ml of DGVB²⁺, mixed with 50 μg of human C4 suspended in5 ml of DGVB²⁺, and incubated for 15 min at 30°. These cells (EAC1, 4)were washed twice and suspended in 5 ml of DGVB²⁺, mixed with 250 μg ofhuman C3 and 5 μg of human C2 suspended in 5 ml of DGVB²⁺, and incubatedfor 30 min at 30°. The resulting cells (EAC1, 4, 2, 3) were washed andresuspended in 5 ml of 10 mM EDTA buffer and incubated at 37° C. for 2 hto allow dissociation of the active classical pathway convertases. Theresulting C3b-coated cells were washed twice in 5 ml 10 mM EDTA buffer,twice in 5 ml of 10 mM Mg2+ EGTA buffer, and resuspended in 10 mM Mg2+EGTA buffer to a final concentration of 1×10⁸/ml. They were stored at 4°C. and used within a week.

Effects of Anti-C3 mAbs on the Activity of Cell-Bound C3bBbP Complexes.

C3b-coated sheep erythrocytes were prepared as described (Hourcade, D.E., Wagner, L. M., and Oglesby, T. J. 1995. Analysis of the shortconsensus repeats of human complement factor B by site-directedmutagenesis. J Biol Chem 270:19716-19722; Whaley, K. 1985. Measurementof complement. In Methods in Complement for Clinical Immunologists. K.Whaley, editor. New York: Churchill Livingstone. 77-139). 100 uL ofC3b-coated sheep erythrocytes, 50 uL of purified factor D (5 ng in Mg2+EGTA buffer), 50 uL of properdin (P; 45 ng in Mg2+ EGTA buffer), and 50uL of factor B (3-5 ng in Mg2+ EGTA buffer) were mixed together andincubated at 30° C. for 30 min. In some cases, the factor B was replacedby 50 ml of in Mg2+EGTA buffer. Samples were chilled to 4° C. andtreated with 150 uL 40 mM EDTA buffer (40 mM Na₂EDTA, 85 mM NaCl, 0.1%(w/v) gelatin, and 2.96 mM sodium 5′,5″-diethyl barbiturate, pH 7.35),containing in some cases 1 ug of mouse anti-human C3d mAb. Samples werethen incubated for 0-3 hr at 30° C. to permit spontaneous C3bBbPdissociation. In some cases this incubation was undertaken with orwithout 400 ug the addition of factor H and for 30 min to assess factorH-dependent convertase decay acceleration. Functional convertases werethen quantified by adding 150 uL of a 1/20 dilution of guinea pig serum(Colorado Serum, Denver, Colo.) in 40 mM EDTA buffer to all samplesfollowed by incubation at 37° C. for 60 min. Additional samples includedcell lysis controls in which cells were treated with 450 ul of distilledwater alone and a negative control in which cells were treated with 450ul of DGVB²⁺ buffer alone. All samples were then centrifuged and theOD₄₁₄ of the supernatants determined. Hemolytic activity levels wereexpressed as Z values, the average number of lytic sites per red bloodcell, calculated from the expression Z=−ln(1−y), where y is theproportion of lysed cells. Each determination was the average ofduplicate points. All complement proteins were of human origin andpurchased from CompTech (Tyler TX).

Immunofluorescence Microscopy.

For immunofluorescence microscopy, sagittal sections of the kidneys weresnap frozen in OCT compound (Sakura Finetek, U.S.A., Inc.). Five μmsections were cut with a cryostat and stored at −80° C. until used. Theslides were later fixed with acetone and stained with antibody to mouseC3 or mouse IgG. The slides were then counterstained with hematoxylin(Vector Laboratories, Inc.) and viewed using an Olympus BX51 microscope.When used for tissue staining, the anti-C3d antibodies were used at aconcentration of 2 μg/mL.

For immunofluorescence microscopy of RPE/choroid, flatmount preparationswere incubated with FITC-labeled antibodies. In brief, eyes werecollected and immersion-fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde for 30 min at 4° C.after which the anterior chamber, lens and retina were removed. Theeyecups were incubated in blocking solution (3% bovine serum albumin,10% normal goat serum, and 0.4% Triton-X in tris-buffered saline) forone hour followed by anti-C3d antibodies (1:100 of 1 μg/mL solution)overnight at 4° C. in blocking solution. Following extensive washing,eyecups were flattened using four relaxing cuts, coverslips were appliedwith Fluoromount (Southern Biotechnology Associates, Inc., Birmingham,Ala.), and slides were examined by confocal microscopy (Leica TCS SP2AOBS, Leica Bannockburn, IL).

Fundus Imaging.

Fundus imaging was performed using the Micron III retinal imagingmicroscope (Phoenix Research Laboratories Inc, Pleasanton, Calif.) whichis based on a custom optical system with a 300-W xenon light source anda three-chip CCD camera, operating at 30 frames/sec in linear/diagnosticmode. For imaging, mice were anesthetized, pupils dilated as describedabove and secured in the imaging cradle. Optical contact between thecornea of the mouse and the lens of the optical system was establishedthrough a drop of methylcellulose. A fundus photograph is obtained usingbright field imaging to focus the CNV lesions, after which the mode isswitched to FITC fluorescent imaging (excitation at 490 nm). JPEG imageswere exported to Photoshop to assemble photos and to extract images ofindividual lesions. To improve visualization of individual lesions,contrast enhancement using identical parameters for control andexperimental images was applied.

It is understood that the examples and embodiments described herein arefor illustrative purposes only and that various modifications or changesin light thereof will be suggested to persons skilled in the art and areto be included within the spirit and purview of this application andscope of the appended claims. All publications, patents, and patentapplications cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference in theirentirety for all purposes.

TABLE 2 Direct Direct ELISA - ELISA - Direct human Biotinylated ELISA -Direct Sandwich C3d recombinant Biotinylated Direct Sandwich DirectELISA - ELISA - ELISA - purified C3d on recombinant ELISA - ELISA -Recombinant Clone Class/ Recombinant Recombinant from streptavidin C3d,purified Recombinant Recombinant cynomologous name subclass human C3dhuman C3d plasma ELISA plate via HIS tag murine C3d murine C3d C3d 3d3IgG1 +++ +++ +++ +++ +++ +++ +++ 3d8b IgG2b ++ +++ +++ +++ +++ +++ +3d9a IgG2a/c +++ +++ +++ +++ +++ +++ + 3d10 IgG1 ++ +++ +++ +++ +++ ++++ 3d11 IgG1 +++ +++ +++ +++ + +++ + 3d15 IgG2a/c ++ +++ +++ +++ ++++++ +++ 3d16 IgG1 ++ +++ ++ +++ +++ ++ ++ 3d29 IgG2a/c +++ +++ +++ +++++ +++ + 3d31 IgG2a/c +++ +++ +++ +++ + +++ −

SEQUENCES SEQ ID NO: 1 [amino acid sequence of humanmembrane cofactor protein (MCP)]:MEPPGRRECPFPSWRFPGLLLAAMVLLLYSFSDACEEPPTFEAMELIGKPKPYYEIGERVDYKCKKGYFYIPPLATHTICDRNHTWLPVSDDACYRETCPYIRDPLNGQAVPANGTYEFGYQMHFICNEGYYLIGEEILYCELKGSVAIWSGKPPICEKVLCTPPPKIKNGKHTFSEVEVFEYLDAVTYSCDPAPGPDPFSLIGESTIYCGDNSVWSRAAPECKVVKCRFPVVENGKQISGFGKKFYYKATVMFECDKGFYLDGSDTIVCDSNSTWDPPVPKCLKVLPPSSTKPPALSHSVSTSSTTKSPASSASGPRPTYKPPVSNYPGYPKPEEGILDSLDVWVIAVIVIAIVVGVAVICVVPYRYLQRRKKKG TYLTDETHREVKFTSLSEQ ID NO: 2 [amino acid sequence of humandecay accelerating factor (DAF/CD55)]:MTVARPSVPAALPLLGELPRLLLLVLLCLPAVWGDCGLPPDVPNAQPALEGRTSFPEDTVITYKCEESFVKIPGEKDSVICLKGSQWSDIEEFCNRSCEVPTRLNSASLKQPYITQNYFPVGTVVEYECRPGYRREPSLSPKLTCLQNLKWSTAVEFCKKKSCPNPGEIRNGQIDVPGGILFGATISFSCNTGYKLFGSTSSFCLISGSSVQWSDPLPECREIYCPAPPQIDNGIIQGERDHYGYRQSVTYACNKGFTMIGEHSIYCTVNNDEGEWSGPPPECRGKSLTSKVPPTVQKPTTVNVPTTEVSPTSQKTTTKTTTPNAQATRSTPVSRTTKHFHETTPNKGSGTTSGTTRLLSGHTCFTLTGLLGTLVT MGLLTSEQ ID NO: 3 [amino acid sequence of mousedecay accelerating factor (DAF/CD55)]:MIRGRAPRTRPSPPPPLLPLLSLSLLLLSPTVRGDCGPPPDIPNARPILGRHSKFAEQSKVAYSCNNGFKQVPDKSNIVVCLENGQWSSHETFCEKSCVAPERLSFASLKKEYLNMNFFPVGTIVEYECRPGFRKQPPLPGKATCLEDLVWSPVAQFCKKKSCPNPKDLDNGHINIPTGILFGSEINFSCNPGYRLVGVSSTFCSVTGNTVDWDDEFPVCTEIHCPEPPKINNGIMRGESDSYTYSQVVTYSCDKGFILVGNASIYCTVSKSDVGQWSSPPPRCIEKSKVPTKKPTINVPSTGTPSTPQKPTTESVPNPGDQPTPQKPSTVKVSATQHVPVTKTTVRHPIRTSTDKGEPNTGGDRYIYGHTCLITL TVLHVMLSLIGYLTSEQ ID NO: 4 [amino acid sequence of human CD59 protein]:MGIQGGSVLFGLLLVLAVFCHSGHSLQCYNCPNPTADCKTAVNCSSDFDACLITKAGLQVYNKCWKFEHCNFNDVTTRLRENELTYYCCKKDLCNFNEQLENGGTSLSEKTVLLLVTPFLAAAWSLHPSEQ ID NO: 5 [amino acid sequence of mouse CD59A protein]:MRAQRGLILLLLLLAVFCSTAVSLTCYHCFQPVVSSCNMNSTCSPDQDSCLYAVAGMQVYQRCWKQSDCHGEIIMDQLEETKLKFRCCQFNLCNKSDGSLGKTPLLGTSVLVAILNLCFLSHL SEQ ID NO: 6 [amino acid sequence of mouseCD59B protein]: MRAQRGLILLLLLLAVFCSTAVSLKCYNCFQFVSSCKINTTCSPNLDSCLYAVAGRQVYQQCWKLSDCNSNYIMSRLDVAGIQSKCCQWGLCNKNLDGLEEPNNAETSSLRKTALLGTSVLVAILKFCFSEQ ID NO: 7 [amino acid sequence of mouse complement receptor 1-related gene/protein y (Crry)]:MEVSSRSSEPLDPVWLLVAFGRGGVKLEVLLLFLLPFTLGELRGGLGKHGHTVHREPAVNRLCADSKRWSGLPVSAQRPFPMGHCPAPSQLPSAKPINLTDESMFPIGTYLLYECLPGYIKRQFSITCKQDSTWTSAEDKCIRKQCKTPSDPENGLVHVHTGIQFGSRINYTCNQGYRLIGSSSAVCVITDQSVDWDTEAPICEWIPCEIPPGIPNGDFFSSTREDFHYGMVVTYRCNTDARGKALFNLVGEPSLYCTSNDGEIGVWSGPPPQCIELNKCTPPPYVENAVMLSENRSLFSLRDIVEFRCHPGFIMKGASSVHCQSLNKWEPELPSCFKGVICRLPQEMSGFQKGLGMKKEYYYGENVTLECEDGYTLEGSSQSQCQSDGSWNPLLAKCVSRSISGLIVGIFIGIIVFILVIIVFIWMILKYKKRNTTDEKYKEVGIHLNYKEDSCVRLQSLLTSQENSST TSPARNSLTQEVSSEQ ID NO: 8 [amino acid sequence of human complement receptor 1 (CR1)]:MGASSPRSPEPVGPPAPGLPFCCGGSLLAVVVLLALPVAWGQCNAPEWLPFARPTNLTDEFEFPIGTYLNYECRPGYSGRPFSIICLKNSVWTGAKDRCRRKSCRNPPDPVNGMVHVIKGIQFGSQIKYSCTKGYRLIGSSSATCIISGDTVIWDNETPICDRIPCGLPPTITNGDFISTNRENFHYGSVVTYRCNPGSGGRKVFELVGEPSIYCTSNDDQVGIWSGPAPQCIIPNKCTPPNVENGILVSDNRSLFSLNEVVEFRCQPGFVMKGPRRVKCQALNKWEPELPSCSRVCQPPPDVLHAERTQRDKDNFSPGQEVFYSCEPGYDLRGAASMRCTPQGDWSPAAPTCEVKSCDDFMGQLLNGRVLFPVNLQLGAKVDFVCDEGFQLKGSSASYCVLAGMESLWNSSVPVCEQIFCPSPPVIPNGRHTGKPLEVFPFGKAVNYTCDPHPDRGTSFDLIGESTIRCTSDPQGNGVWSSPAPRCGILGHCQAPDHFLFAKLKTQTNASDFPIGTSLKYECRPEYYGRPFSITCLDNLVWSSPKDVCKRKSCKTPPDPVNGMVHVITDIQVGSRINYSCTTGHRLIGHSSAECILSGNAAHWSTKPPICQRIPCGLPPTIANGDFISTNRENFHYGSVVTYRCNPGSGGRKVFELVGEPSIYCTSNDDQVGIWSGPAPQCIIPNKCTPPNVENGILVSDNRSLFSLNEVVEFRCQPGFVMKGPRRVKCQALNKWEPELPSCSRVCQPPPDVLHAERTQRDKDNFSPGQEVFYSCEPGYDLRGAASMRCTPQGDWSPAAPTCEVKSCDDFMGQLLNGRVLFPVNLQLGAKVDFVCDEGFQLKGSSASYCVLAGMESLWNSSVPVCEQIFCPSPPVIPNGRHTGKPLEVFPFGKAVNYTCDPHPDRGTSFDLIGESTIRCTSDPQGNGVWSSPAPRCGILGHCQAPDHFLFAKLKTQTNASDFPIGTSLKYECRPEYYGRPFSITCLDNLVWSSPKDVCKRKSCKTPPDPVNGMVHVITDIQVGSRINYSCTTGHRLIGHSSAECILSGNTAHWSTKPPICQRIPCGLPPTIANGDFISTNRENFHYGSVVTYRCNLGSRGRKVFELVGEPSIYCTSNDDQVGIWSGPAPQCIIPNKCTPPNVENGILVSDNRSLFSLNEVVEFRCQPGFVMKGPRRVKCQALNKWEPELPSCSRVCQPPPEILHGEHTPSHQDNFSPGQEVFYSCEPGYDLRGAASLHCTPQGDWSPEAPRCAVKSCDDFLGQLPHGRVLFPLNLQLGAKVSFVCDEGFRLKGSSVSHCVLVGMRSLWNNSVPVCEHIFCPNPPAILNGRHTGTPSGDIPYGKEISYTCDPHPDRGMTFNLIGESTIRCTSDPHGNGVWSSPAPRCELSVRAGHCKTPEQFPFASPTIPINDFEFPVGTSLNYECRPGYFGKMFSISCLENLVWSSVEDNCRRKSCGPPPEPFNGMVHINTDTQFGSTVNYSCNEGFRLIGSPSTTCLVSGNNVTWDKKAPICEIISCEPPPTISNGDFYSNNRTSFHNGTVVTYQCHTGPDGEQLFELVGERSIYCTSKDDQVGVWSSPPPRCISTNKCTAPEVENAIRVPGNRSFFSLTEIIRFRCQPGFVMVGSHTVQCQTNGRWGPKLPHCSRVCQPPPEILHGEHTLSHQDNFSPGQEVFYSCEPSYDLRGAASLHCTPQGDWSPEAPRCTVKSCDDFLGQLPHGRVLLPLNLQLGAKVSFVCDEGFRLKGRSASHCVLAGMKALWNSSVPVCEQIFCPNPPAILNGRHTGTPFGDIPYGKEISYACDTHPDRGMTFNLIGESSIRCTSDPQGNGVWSSPAPRCELSVPAACPHPPKIQNGHYIGGHVSLYLPGMTISYTCDPGYLLVGKGFIFCTDQGIWSQLDHYCKEVNCSFPLFMNGISKELEMKKVYHYGDYVTLKCEDGYTLEGSPWSQCQADDRWDPPLAKCTSRAHDALIVGTLSGTIFFILLIIFLSWIILKHRKGNNAHENPKEVAIHLHSQGGS SVHPRTLQTNEENSRVLPSEQ ID NO: 9 [amino acid sequence of human factor H]:MRLLAKIICLMLWAICVAEDCNELPPRRNTEILTGSWSDQTYPEGTQAIYKCRPGYRSLGNVIMVCRKGEWVALNPLRKCQKRPCGHPGDTPFGTFTLTGGNVFEYGVKAVYTCNEGYQLLGEINYRECDTDGWTNDIPICEVVKCLPVTAPENGKIVSSAMEPDREYHFGQAVRFVCNSGYKIEGDEEMHCSDDGFWSKEKPKCVEISCKSPDVINGSPISQKIIYKENERFQYKCNMGYEYSERGDAVCTESGWRPLPSCEEKSCDNPYIPNGDYSPLRIKHRTGDEITYQCRNGFYPATRGNTAKCTSTGWIPAPRCTLKPCDYPDIKHGGLYHENMRRPYFPVAVGKYYSYYCDEHFETPSGSYWDHIHCTQDGWSPAVPCLRKCYFPYLENGYNQNYGRKFVQGKSIDVACHPGYALPKAQTTVTCMENGWSPTPRCIRVKTCSKSSIDIENGFISESQYTYALKEKAKYQCKLGYVTADGETSGSITCGKDGWSAQPTCIKSCDIPVFMNARTKNDFTWFKLNDTLDYECHDGYESNTGSTTGSIVCGYNGWSDLPICYERECELPKIDVHLVPDRKKDQYKVGEVLKFSCKPGFTIVGPNSVQCYHFGLSPDLPICKEQVQSCGPPPELLNGNVKEKTKEEYGHSEVVEYYCNPRFLMKGPNKIQCVDGEWTTLPVCIVEESTCGDIPELEHGWAQLSSPPYYYGDSVEFNCSESFTMIGHRSITCIHGVWTQLPQCVAIDKLKKCKSSNLIILEEHLKNKKEFDHNSNIRYRCRGKEGWIHTVCINGRWDPEVNCSMAQIQLCPPPPQIPNSHNMTTTLNYRDGEKVSVLCQENYLIQEGEEITCKDGRWQSIPLCVEKIPCSQPPQIEHGTINSSRSSQESYAHGTKLSYTCEGGFRISEENETTCYMGKWSSPPQCEGLPCKSPPEISHGVVAHMSDSYQYGEEVTYKCFEGFGIDGPAIAKCLGEKWSHPPSCIKTDCLSLPSFENAIPMGEKKDVYKAGEQVTYTCATYYKMDGASNVTCINSRWTGRPTCRDTSCVNPPTVQNAYIVSRQMSKYPSGERVRYQCRSPYEMFGDEEVMCLNGNWTEPPQCKDSTGKCGPPPPIDNGDITSFPLSVYAPASSVEYQCQNLYQLEGNKRITCRNGQWSEPPKCLHPCVISREIMENYNIALRWTAKQKLYSRTGESVEFVCKRGYRLSSRSHTLRTTCWDGK LEYPTCAKRSEQ ID NO: 10 [amino acid sequence of mouse factor H]:MRLSARIIWLILWTVCAAEDCKGPPPRENSEILSGSWSEQLYPEGTQATYKCRPGYRTLGTIVKVCKNGKWVASNPSRICRKKPCGHPGDTPFGSFRLAVGSQFEFGAKVVYTCDDGYQLLGEIDYRECGADGWINDIPLCEVVKCLPVTELENGRIVSGAAETDQEYYFGQVVRFECNSGFKIEGHKEIHCSENGLWSNEKPRCVEILCTPPRVENGDGINVKPVYKENERYHYKCKHGYVPKERGDAVCTGSGWSSQPFCEEKRCSPPYILNGIYTPHRIIHRSDDEIRYECNYGFYPVTGSTVSKCTPTGWIPVPRCTLKPCEFPQFKYGRLYYEESLRPNFPVSIGNKYSYKCDNGFSPPSGYSWDYLRCTAQGWEPEVPCVRKCVFHYVENGDSAYWEKVYVQGQSLKVQCYNGYSLQNGQDTMTCTENGWSPPPKCIRIKTCSASDIHIDNGFLSESSSIYALNRETSYRCKQGYVTNTGEISGSITCLQNGWSPQPSCIKSCDMPVFENSITKNTRTWFKLNDKLDYECLVGFENEYKHTKGSITCTYYGWSDTPSCYERECSVPTLDRKLVVSPRKEKYRVGDLLEFSCHSGHRVGPDSVQCYHFGWSPGFPTCKGQVASCAPPLEILNGEINGAKKVEYSHGEVVKYDCKPRFLLKGPNKIQCVDGNWTTLPVCIEEERTCGDIPELEHGSAKCSVPPYHHGDSVEFICEENFTMIGHGSVSCISGKWTQLPKCVATDQLEKCRVLKSTGIEAIKPKLTEFTHNSTMDYKCRDKQEYERSICINGKWDPEPNCTSKTSCPPPPQIPNTQVIETTVKYLDGEKLSVLCQDNYLTQDSEEMVCKDGRWQSLPRCIEKIPCSQPPTIEHGSINLPRSSEERRDSIESSSHEHGTTFSYVCDDGFRIPEENRITCYMGKWSTPPRCVGLPCGPPPSIPLGTVSLELESYQHGEEVTYHCSTGFGIDGPAFIICEGGKWSDPPKCIKTDCDVLPTVKNAIIRGKSKKSYRTGEQVTFRCQSPYQMNGSDTVTCVNSRWIGQPVCKDNSCVDPPHVPNATIVTRTKNKYLHGDRVRYECNKPLELFGQVEVMCENGIWTEKPKCRDSTGKCGPPPPIDNGDITSLSLPVYEPLSSVEYQCQKYYLLKGKKTITCTNGKWSEPPTCLHACVIPENIMESHNIILKWRHTEKIYSHSGEDIEFGCKYGYYKARDSPPFRTK CINGTINYPTCVSEQ ID NO: 11 [amino acid sequence of CVF from Naja kaouthia]:MERMALYLVAALLIGFPGSSHGALYTLITPAVLRTDTEEQILVEAHGDSTPKQLDIFVHDFPRKQKTLFQTRVDMNPAGGMLVTPTIEIPAKEVSTDSRQNQYVVVQVTGPQVRLEKVVLLSYQSSFLFIQTDKGIYTPGSPVLYRVFSMDHNTSKMNKTVIVEFQTPEGILVSSNSVDLNFFWPYNLPDLVSLGTWRIVAKYEHSPENYTAYFDVRKYVLPSFEVRLQPSEKFFYIDGNENFHVSITARYLYGEEVEGVAFVLFGVKIDDAKKSIPDSLTRIPIIDGDGKATLKRDTFRSRFPNLNELVGHTLYASVTVMTESGSDMVVTEQSGIHIVASPYQIHFTKTPKYFKPGMPYELTVYVTNPDGSPAAHVPVVSEAFHSMGTTLSDGTAKLILNIPLNAQSLPITVRTNHGDLPRERQATKSMTAIAYQTQGGSGNYLHVAITSTEIKPGDNLPVNFNVKGNANSLKQIKYFTYLILNKGKIFKVGRQPRRDGQNLVTMNLHITPDLIPSFRFVAYYQVGNNEIVADSVWVDVKDTCMGTLVVKGDNLIQMPGAAMKIKLEGDPGARVGLVAVDKAVYVLNDKYKISQAKIWDTIEKSDFGCTAGSGQNNLGVFEDAGLALTTSTNLNTKQRSAAKCPQPANRRRRSSVLLLDSNASKAAEFQDQDLRKCCEDVMHENPMGYTCEKRAKYIQEGDACKAAFLECCRYIKGVRDENQRESELFLARDDNEDGFIADSDIISRSDFPKSWLWLTKDLTEEPNSQGISSKTMSFYLRDSITTWVVLAVSFTPTKGICVAEPYEIRVMKVFFIDLQMPYSVVKNEQVEIRAILHNYVNEDIYVRVELLYNPAFCSASTKGQRYRQQFPIKALSSRAVPFVIVPLEQGLHDVEIKASVQEALWSDGVRKKLKVVPEGVQKSIVTIVKLDPRAKGVGGTQLEVIKARKLDDRVPDTEIETKIIIQGDPVAQIIENSIDGSKLNHLIITPSGCGEQNMIRMAAPVIATYYLDTTEQWETLGINRRTEAVNQIVTGYAQQMVYKKADHSYAAFTNRASSSWLTAYVVKVFAMAAKMVAGISHEIICGGVRWLILNRQQPDGAFKENAPVLSGTMQGGIQGAEEEVYLTAFILVALLESKTICNDYVNSLDSSIKKATNYLLKKYEKLQRPYTTALTAYALAAADQLNDDRVLMAASTGRDHWEEYNAHTHNIEGTSYALLALLKMKKFDQTGPIVRWLTDQNFYGETYGQTQATVMAFQALAEYEIQMPTHKDLNLDITIELPDREVPIRYRINYENALLARTVETKLNQDITVTASGDGKATMTILTFYNAQLQEKANVCNKFHLNVSVENIHLNAMGAKGALMLKICTRYLGEVDSTMTIIDISMLTGFLPDAEDLTRLSKGVDRYISRYEVDNNMAQKVAVIIYLNKVSHSEDECLHFKILKHFEVGFIQPGSVKVYSYYNLDEKCTKFYHPDKGTGLLNKICIGNVCRCAGETCSSLNHQERIDVPLQIEKACETNVDYVYKTKLLRIEEQDGNDIYVMDVLEVIKQGTDENPRAKTHQYISQRKCQEALNLKVNDDYLIWGSRSDLLPTKDKISYIITKNTWIERWPHEDECQEEEFQKLCDDFAQFSYTLTEFGCPTSEQ ID NO: 12 [amino acid sequence of 3d8B light chain variable region]DVLMTQTPLTLSVTIGQPASISCKSSQSLLDSDGKTYLNWLLQRPGQSPKRLIYLVSKLDSGVPDRFTGSGSGTDFTLKISRVEAEDLGVYYCW QGTHFPRTFGGGTKLEIKSEQ ID NO: 13 [amino acid sequence of 3d8B heavy chain variable region]EVQLQQSGPVLVKPGASVKMSCKASGYTFTNYYINWVKQSHGKSLEWIGVINPYNGGTSYNQKFKGKATLTVDKSSSTAYMELNSLTSEDSAVY FCSSPYWGQGTSVTVSSSEQ ID NO: 14 [amino acid sequence of CDR13d8B light chain variable region] QSLLDSDGKTYSEQ ID NO: 15 [amino acid sequence of CDR23d8B light chain variable region] LVSSEQ ID NO: 16 [amino acid sequence of CDR33d8B light chain variable region] WQGTHFPRTSEQ ID NO: 17 [amino acid sequence of CDR13d8B heavy chain variable region] GYTFTNYYSEQ ID NO: 18 [amino acid sequence of CDR23d8B heavy chain variable region] INPYNGGTSEQ ID NO: 19 [amino acid sequence of CDR33d8B heavy chain variable region] SSPYSEQ ID NO: 20 [nucleic acid sequence of 3d8blight chain variable region]GATGTTTTGATGACCCAAACTCCACTCACTTTGTCGGTTACCATTGGACAACCAGCCTCCATCTCTTGCAAGTCAAGTCAGAGCCTCTTAGATAGTGATGGAAAGACATATTTGAATTGGTTGTTACAGAGGCCAGGCCAGTCTCCAAAGCGCCTAATCTATCTGGTGTCTAAACTGGACTCTGGAGTCCCTGACAGGTTCACTGGCAGTGGATCAGGGACAGATTTCACACTGAAAATCAGCAGAGTGGAGGCTGAGGATTTGGGAGTTTATTATTGCTGGCAAGGTACACATTTTCCTCGGACGTTCGGTGGAGGCACCAAGCTGGA AATCAAASEQ ID NO: 21 [nucleic acid sequence of 3d8bheavy chain variable region]GAGGTTCAGCTTCAGCAGTCTGGACCTGTGCTGGTGAAGCCTGGGGCTTCAGTGAAGATGTCCTGTAAGGCTTCTGGATACACATTCACTAACTACTATATAAACTGGGTGAAGCAGAGCCATGGAAAGAGCCTTGAGTGGATTGGAGTTATTAATCCTTACAACGGTGGTACTAGCTACAACCAGAAGTTCAAGGGCAAGGCCACATTGACTGTTGACAAGTCCTCCAGCACAGCCTACATGGAGCTCAACAGCCTGACATCTGAGGACTCTGCAGTCTATTTCTGTTCAAGTCCCTACTGGGGTCAAGGAACCTCAGTCACCGTCTC CTCASEQ ID NO: 22 [amino acid sequence of 3d29 light chain variable region]DVLMTQTPLTLSVTIGQPASISCKSSQSLLDSDGKTYLNWLLQRPGQSPKRLIYLVSKLESGVPDRFTGSGSGTDFTLEISRVEAEDLGVYYCW QGTHFPRTFGGGTKLEIKSEQ ID NO: 23 [amino acid sequence of 3d29 heavy chain variable region]EVQLQQSGPVLVKPGASVKMSCKASGYTFTDYYMNWVKQSHGKSLEWIGVINPYNGGTSYNQKFKGKATLTVDKSSRTAYMELNSLTSEDSAVY YCSRGGPYWGQGTTLTVSSSEQ ID NO: 24 [amino acid sequence of CDR 13d29 light chain variable region] QSLLDSDGKTYSEQ ID NO: 25 [amino acid sequence of CDR23d29 light chain variable region] LVSSEQ ID NO: 26 [amino acid sequence of CDR33d29 light chain variable region] WQGTHFPRTSEQ ID NO: 27 [amino acid sequence of CDR13d29 heavy chain variable region] GYTFTDYYSEQ ID NO: 28 [amino acid sequence of CDR23d29 heavy chain variable region] INPYNGGTSEQ ID NO: 29 [amino acid sequence of CDR33d29 heavy chain variable region] SRGGPYSEQ ID NO: 30 [nucleic acid sequence of 3d29light chain variable region]GATGTTTTGATGACCCAAACTCCACTCACTTTGTCGGTTACCATTGGACAACCAGCCTCCATCTCTTGCAAGTCAAGTCAGAGCCTCTTAGATAGTGATGGAAAGACATATTTGAATTGGTTGTTACAGAGGCCAGGCCAGTCTCCAAAGCGCCTAATCTATCTGGTGTCTAAACTGGAATCTGGAGTCCCTGACAGGTTCACTGGCAGTGGATCAGGGACAGATTTCACACTGGAAATCAGCAGAGTGGAGGCTGAGGATTTGGGAGTTTATTATTGCTGGCAAGGTACACATTTTCCTCGGACGTTCGGTGGAGGCACCAAGCTGGA AATCAAASEQ ID NO: 31 [nucleic acid sequence of 3d29heavy chain variable region]GAGGTTCAGCTGCAGCAGTCTGGACCTGTGCTGGTGAAGCCTGGGGCTTCAGTGAAGATGTCCTGTAAGGCTTCTGGATACACATTCACTGACTACTATATGAATTGGGTGAAGCAGAGCCATGGAAAGAGCCTTGAGTGGATTGGAGTTATTAATCCTTACAACGGTGGTACTAGTTACAATCAGAAGTTCAAGGGCAAGGCCACATTGACTGTTGATAAGTCCTCCCGCACAGCCTACATGGAGCTCAACAGCCTGACATCTGAGGACTCTGCAGTCTATTATTGTTCAAGAGGGGGCCCCTACTGGGGCCAAGGCACCACTCTCAC AGTCTCCTCASEQ ID NO: 32 [amino acid sequence of 3d scFv Crry fusion]MPMGSLQPLATLYLLGMLVASVLAHHHHHHIEGREVKLVESGGGLVQPGSSMKLSCTTSGFTFSDYYMAWVRQVPEKGLEWVANINYDGSSAYYLDSFKSRFTISRDNEKNILYLQMSSLKSEDTATYYCARGDWFVYWGQGTLVTVSAGGGGSGGGGSGGGGSDIQMTQSPSSMSASLGERVTITCKASQDINSYLNWFQQKPGKSPKTLIFRANRLVDGVPSRFSGSGSGQDYSLTISSLEFEDVGIYYCLQYAEFPFTFGSGTKLEIKIEGRGGGGSGGGGSCPAPSQLPSAKPINLTDESMFPIGTYLLYECLPGYIKRQFSITCKQDSTWTSAEDKCIRKQCKTPSDPENGLVHVHTGIQFGSRINYTCNQGYRLIGSSSAVCVITDQSVDWDTEAPICEWIPCEIPPGIPNGDFFSSTREDFHYGMVVTYRCNTDARGKALFNLVGEPSLYCTSNDGEIGVWSGPPPQCIELNKCTPPPYVENAVMLSENRSLFSLRDIVEFRCHPGFIMKGASSVHCQSLNKWEPELPSCFKGVICRLPQEMSGFQKGLGMKKEYYYGENVTLECEDGYTLEGSSQSQCQSDGSWNPLLAKCVSRSISEQ ID NO: 33 [nucleic acid sequence of 3d16heavy chain variable region]GAGGTCCAGCTGCAGCAATCTGGAGCTGAGCTGGTAAGGCCTGGGACTTCAGTGAAGGTGTCCTGCAAGGCTTCTGGATACGCCTTCGCTCACTACTTGATAGAATGGGTAAAGCAGAGGCCTGGACAGGGCCTTGAGTGGATTGGCGTGATTAATCCTGGAACTGATGGCACTAACTACAATGAGAAGTTCAAGGGCAAGGCAACACTGACTGCAGACAAATCCTCCAGCACTGCCTACATGCACCTCAGCAGCCTGACATCTGAGGACTCTGCGGTCTATTTCTGTGCAAGAGAGGAACTGGGGTTTGCTTACTGGGGCCAAGGGAC TCTGGTCACTGTCTCTGCASEQ ID NO: 34 [amino acid sequence of 3d16 heavy chain variable region]EVQLQQSGAELVRPGTSVKVSCKASGYAFAHYLIEWVKQRPGQGLEWIGVINPGTDGTNYNEKFKGKATLTADKSSSTAYMHLSSLTSEDSAVY FCAREELGFAYWGQGTLVTVSASEQ ID NO: 35 [amino acid sequence of CDR13d16 heavy chain variable region] GYAFAHYLSEQ ID NO: 36 [amino acid sequence of CDR23d16 heavy chain variable region] INPGTDGTSEQ ID NO: 37 [amino acid sequence of CDR33d16 heavy chain variable region] AREELGFAY

1. (canceled)
 2. An anti-C3d antibody conjugate, comprising a detectablemoiety and light chain complementarity determining regions (CDR) 1, 2and 3, wherein light chain CDR 1 is SEQ ID NO:14, light chain CDR 2 isSEQ ID NO:15 and light chain CDR 3 is SEQ ID NO:16; and heavy chaincomplementarity determining regions (CDR) 1, 2 and 3, wherein heavychain CDR 1 is SEQ ID NO:17 or SEQ ID NO:27, heavy chain CDR 2 is SEQ IDNO:18 and heavy chain CDR 3 is SEQ ID NO:19 or
 29. 3. The anti-C3dantibody conjugate of claim 2, wherein light chain CDR 1 is SEQ IDNO:14, light chain CDR 2 is SEQ ID NO:15, light chain CDR 3 is SEQ IDNO:16, heavy chain CDR 1 is SEQ ID NO:17, heavy chain CDR 2 is SEQ IDNO:18, and heavy chain CDR 3 is SEQ ID NO:19.
 4. The anti-C3d antibodyconjugate of claim 2, wherein light chain CDR 1 is SEQ ID NO:24, lightchain CDR 2 is SEQ ID NO:25, light chain CDR 3 is SEQ ID NO:26, heavychain CDR 1 is SEQ ID NO:27, heavy chain CDR 2 is SEQ ID NO:28, andheavy chain CDR 3 is SEQ ID NO:29
 5. (canceled)
 6. (canceled) 7.(canceled)
 8. (canceled)
 9. The anti-C3d antibody conjugate of claim 2,comprising a monoclonal antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof,chimerized or chimeric antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof,humanized antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof, deimmunizedhuman antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof, fully human antibodyor antigen-binding fragment thereof, single chain antibody, single chainFv fragment (scFv), Fd fragment, Fab fragment, Fab′ fragment, F(ab′)₂fragment, diabody or antigen-binding fragment thereof, minibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof, triabody or antigen-binding fragmentthereof, domain antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof, camelidantibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof, dromedary antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof, or phage-displayed antibody orantigen-binding fragment thereof, or antibody, or antigen-bindingfragment thereof, identified with repetitive antigen array or antigenbinding fragment thereof.
 10. The anti-C3d antibody conjugate of claim2, comprising a humanized antibody, or an antigen-binding fragmentthereof.
 11. (canceled)
 12. The anti-C3d antibody conjugate of claim 2,wherein the antibody, or antigen-binding fragment thereof,preferentially binds iC3b, C3d or C3dg with at least 10 fold greateraffinity than uncleaved C3.
 13. (canceled)
 14. The anti-C3d antibodyconjugate of claim 2, wherein said detectable moiety is selected fromthe group consisting of ³²P, a fluorescent dye, an electron-densereagent, an enzyme, biotin, digoxigenin, a paramagnetic molecule, aparamagnetic nanoparticle, an ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide(“USPIO”) nanoparticle, a USPIO nanoparticle aggregate, asuperparamagnetic iron oxide (“SPIO”) nanoparticle, an SPIO nanoparticleaggregate, a standard superparamagnetic iron oxide (“SSPIO”), an SSPIOnanoparticle aggregate, a polydisperse superparamagnetic iron oxide(“PSPIO”), a PSPIO nanoparticle aggregate, a monochrystalline SPIO, amonochrystalline SPIO aggregate, a monochrystalline iron oxidenanoparticle, a monochrystalline iron oxide, another nanoparticlecontrast agent, a liposome or other delivery vehicle comprisingGadolinium chelate (“Gd-chelate”) molecules, Gadolinium, a radioisotope,a radionuclide, carbon-11, nitrogen-13, oxygen-15, fluorine-18,rubidium-82, fluorodeoxyglucose, a gamma ray emitting radionuclide, apositron-emitting radionuclide, radiolabeled glucose, radiolabeledwater, radiolabeled ammonia, a biocolloid, a microbubble, an iodinatedcontrast agent, barium sulfate, thorium dioxide, gold, a goldnanoparticle, a gold nanoparticle aggregate, a fluorophore, a two-photonfluorophore, a hapten, a protein, and a fluorescent moiety. 15.(canceled)
 16. The anti-C3d antibody conjugate of claim 2, wherein saiddetectable moiety is a paramagnetic moiety.
 17. The anti-C3d antibodyconjugate of claim 16, wherein said paramagnetic moiety is an ultrasmallsuperparamagnetic iron oxide (“USPIO”) nanoparticle or aggregatethereof.
 18. The anti-C3d antibody conjugate of claim 17, wherein saidparamagnetic moiety is an ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide(“USPIO”) nanoparticle aggregate.
 19. (canceled)
 20. (canceled) 21.(canceled)
 22. (canceled)
 23. The anti-C3d antibody conjugate of claim18, wherein said nanoparticle aggregate is coated with dextran, coatedwith an amphiphilic polymer, or encapsulated with phospholipid. 24.(canceled)
 25. (canceled)
 26. (canceled)
 27. The anti-C3d antibodyconjugate of claim 2, wherein the antibody, or antigen-binding fragmentthereof, is conjugated to the detectable moiety through a lysine aminoacid.
 28. (canceled)
 29. The anti-C3d antibody conjugate of claim 2,wherein the antibody, or antigen-binding fragment thereof, is conjugatedto the detectable moiety through a cysteine, glutamate, aspartate, orarginine amino acid.
 30. (canceled)
 31. The anti-C3d antibody conjugateof claim 2, wherein the antibody, or antigen-binding fragment thereof,is conjugated to the detectable moiety a) through a4-succinimidyloxycarbonyl-α-methyl-α (2-pyridyldithio) toluene (SMPT),N-5-azido-2-nitrobenzoyloxysuccinimide, 1,4-bis-maleimidobutane,m-maleimidobenzoyl-N-hydroxysuccinimide ester,4-[p-azidosalicylamido]butylamine, or p-azidophenyl glyoxal monohydrate;or b) through a reaction comprising a thiolated antibody, or antigenbinding fragment thereof, and a maleoyl-activated amine of thedetectable moiety; EDC/NHS-activated antibody, or antigen bindingfragment thereof, and an amine of the detectable moiety; orEDC/NHS-activated carboxylic acid of the detectable moiety and an amineof the antibody, or antigen binding fragment thereof.
 32. A method ofdetecting complement-mediated inflammation in an individual comprising:(a) administering to said individual an effective amount of an anti-C3dantibody conjugate of claim 2; (b) allowing said anti-C3d antibodyconjugate to bind to a C3 protein fragment within said individualthereby forming an anti-C3d antibody conjugate-C3 protein fragmentcomplex; and (c) detecting said anti-C3d antibody conjugate-C3 proteinfragment complex in said individual.
 33. (canceled)
 34. The method ofclaim 32, wherein said detecting comprises fluorescent spectroscopy. 35.The method of claim 32, wherein said detecting comprises magneticresonance imaging, computed tomography, positron emission tomography,single photon emission computed tomography, ultrasonography, orradiography.
 36. The method of claim 32, wherein saidcomplement-mediated inflammation is ocular inflammation.
 37. The methodof claim 36, wherein said ocular complement-mediated inflammation isassociated with age-related macular degeneration.
 38. (canceled) 39.(canceled)
 40. The method of claim 32, wherein said complement-mediatedinflammation is associated with tissue damage resulting from cancer, anischemia reperfusion injury, an inflammatory disorder, transplantrejection (cellular or antibody mediated), a pregnancy-related disease,an adverse drug reaction, age-related macular degeneration,glomerulonephritis, or an autoimmune or immune complex disorder. 41.(canceled)
 42. (canceled)
 43. (canceled)
 44. (canceled)
 45. (canceled)46. (canceled)
 47. (canceled)
 48. (canceled)
 49. (canceled) 50.(canceled)
 51. (canceled)